Middle School Never Ends
by WhatTheF-ckHaveYouDoneLately
Summary: AU. Sam and Dean have just found out they're moving again, and their new middle school turns out to be the residence of the two angels that will change the boys forever. The brothers Castiel and Gabriel Novak, of course. Dean/Cas and Sam/Gabriel slash.
1. Sam's Big Move

**Author's Note:**

**To avoid confusion, you might wanna read the first part of this A/N at least. This is an AU that Cheyenne (A Darker Heaven and Hell) was originally going to write but didn't have time for, so she gave me the honor of writing this lovely little idea. Dean and Sam are in middleschool. The whole gang is here, some are students, some are teachers, some will arrive in later chapters. And I have bent things a little: Sam and Dean are only two years apart instead of four, making Dean 13/14ish and Sam 11/12ish; Gabriel is actually younger than Cas in this because I wanted him in Sam's class (remember this is also a Sabriel fic) and Cas in Dean's, so yeah. And yes this will be OOC, but can we please remember they are in middle school? This would be before/during Dean hits his "OMG me, gay? NEVER!" stage, so there won't be any homophobic preamble. Just fluff to help me recover from the finale. And yes, characters like Crowley and Ruby will be in here as students, but that's what I love about AUs - there are noooo boundaries. Cas and Gabe are still angels and the demons are still demons, but other than that, everything else is pretty much different. **

**Thanks for reading :D**

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><p><em>"I'm just a kid and life is a nightmare<em>

_I'm just a kid, I know that it's not fair_

_Nobody cares, 'cause I'm alone and_

_The world is having more fun than me."_

_~I'm Just a Kid by Simple Plan_

It was a miserable day in the Winchester house.

Dean sighed and listened to his father and younger brother fight like cats and dogs. John had announced they were moving,_ again_, and Sam, who had made several friends at his school, was throwing a fit. Mary was worriedly listening to her son and husband but knew it was best to just let them get the rage out of their systems. She'd learned the hard way that getting in the middle of their arguments only made matters worse. Every time John got a new job, all hell broke loose.

"But my friends are here, Dad! You can't make us move!" Sam yelled.

John was yelling too. "Don't you give me lip, boy!"

They shot back into their heated argument, and Dean went up to his room. He had no interest in hearing his brother and father spit venom at one another. Knowing there was no use in caring because he didn't have any friends anyway, he started organizing things to be packed. As always, Mary would go get boxes, and the boys would spend the day packing. It was like clockwork.

An hour later, Sam stormed into Dean's room and threw himself onto the bed. "Dean, you can't let Dad do this, it's not fair!"

They had this discussion every single time, and like always, Dean said, "We don't have a choice, Sammy. It'll be okay. You'll make new friends."

"Not like these friends!" Again, it was the same reply as usual.

"You don't know that."

Sam stubbornly folded his arms. "Yes I do."

"Sammy-"

"The new school won't have Jess!" Ouch. Sam's first love. Well, even though Dean hated seeing his little brother upset, it didn't change anything.

"Who knows, maybe you'll meet even better friends."

If they only knew just how right Dean was…

* * *

><p>Dean took a deep breath, refusing to be nervous, and walked into his classroom. All eyes immediately went to him. Well, all eyes except for those of the boy in the back corner. He had unruly dark brown hair, blue eyes so bright that Dean could see them even from across the room, and was just generally gorgeous. <em>Dude, you're straight, you're not allowed to think another guy is gorgeous! <em>his mind screamed at him. But he ignored it, because there was really no denying how beautiful, even for only thirteen years old, the boy in the corner was.

"Class, I would like you to meet our new student, Dean Winchester," introduced the gruff old teacher, who had reddish colored but graying hair and matching beard.

Cocky as ever, he strode to the front of the class and caught the eye of a pretty blond, giving her a flirty wink. The teacher (Mr. Singer, if memory served from his schedule) muttered something that sounded like "Idjit." He pointed at the empty seat next to the pretty blue eyed boy, so Dean took the hint and placed himself in it. So much for the epic introduction speech he'd had planned.

"Hey. What's up?" he casually asked the boy next to him.

Blue eyes flicked over to him, looking at him from underneath long black lashes, but he didn't say anything.

Dean sighed. "Right. Well, um, I guess I'll leave you alone forever now."

The dark haired, blue eyed boy missed the sarcasm and simply returned to doodling in his notebook without offering a reply.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Sam had slunk off to the back corner, and was sitting between not one but two blonds. One was a brown eyed blond girl making eyes at him, and the other was a blond haired boy with amber colored eyes that was simply watching him. Sam wanted a large hole to open up and swallow him. He hated this school already, an opinion based on his longing for his old friends and his hatred for the biology teacher, Mr. Lucifer. He was the meanest teacher Sam had ever had.<p>

"It's okay kiddo, he hates everyone, it's not just you," reassured the blond boy to his left as if he'd read Sam's mind.

"Awesome," Sam said sarcastically.

The blond boy smiled and held out his hand. "I'm Gabriel Novak."

"Sam Winchester," he said, shaking the outstretched hand.

"And I'm Becky Rosen," added the girl to his right.

"Um, hi," he said, looking over.

She winked at him and wrote her phone number on the back of his hand. Gabriel laughed quietly and returned to taking notes. Mr. Lucifer scolded Becky for fraternizing with the new student, and she shrunk back at his harsh tone. Gabriel continued snickering under his breath. Sam, who was determined to hate the school, couldn't help but take a begrudging liking to this Gabriel Novak.

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><p>"Well this day has officially sucked," Dean muttered to himself as he left the cafeteria.<p>

He'd sat with a few pretty girls that all offered their phone numbers, but his gaze kept straying to the handsome, dark haired boy sitting by himself. The same boy that had refused to speak to him but still managed to hypnotize him with those azure blue eyes. Dean Winchester, mini womanizer to the stars, had it bad. For a guy. Unbelievable.

Dean was still lost in his thoughts when he rounded the corner, going into the hallway, and ran straight into a pretty blond, the same one he'd winked at earlier. She had large brown eyes, wavy blond hair, and a guy standing to either side of her. One was oddly immaculately dressed for a thirteen year old, from his perfectly combed dark brown hair to his black suit, and the other was just nerdy, with spectacle reading glasses and short brown hair.

"Sorry 'bout that," he apologized.

She shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I'm Jo, by the way, and these are my friends Crowley and Chuck."

Dean shook her hand, and then Crowley's - the one in the suit, and Chuck's - the nerdy one. Usually he would be flirting with Jo, but after being ignored by (he still didn't know the guy's name) the pretty blue eyed one, he wasn't really up to flirting. On the other hand, he made fast friends with the unlikely trio, and he found himself asking the question that had been on his mind for most of the day.

"So…what's up with the really quiet guy that sits in the corner? Blue eyes, brown hair?" he asked.

Jo smiled. "Castiel Novak. He doesn't mean to be rude, he's just painfully shy."

"Shy?"

Dean didn't think that was adorable, of course. Not a bit. Well…maybe a little.

**To Be Continued**


	2. An Angel's First Crush

**Author's Note:**

**Thank you SO MUCH for the feedback everyone! The reviews, the story alerts...wow! I wasn't expecting to get a good response from this, but I can't tell you how much I love you for your encouragement. Thanks to everyone :D I warn that the Sabrielness won't be drawn out for very long because Gabriel _is_ Gabriel after all, the adorable little flirt, but the Dean/Cas portion will have some angst here and there. And a note to my Iris readers: The epilogue is finished, I am just waiting for Kim to OK it. Sorry for the wait!**

**Thanks again for the support guys, you're amazing beyond human understanding!**

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><p><em>"Love, however, is a hoop, a wheel, that rolls on forever."<em>

_~From The Darkest Evening Of The Year by Dean Koontz_

"So, who's the kid my brother's making eyes at?" Sam asked Gabriel as they walked side by side, noticing Dean, who was watching Castiel, the latter leaning against a wall gazing off into space.

"My brother, Castiel. He's shy."

"Dean sure seems to like him. I haven't seen him make googley eyes like that since the first time we saw Dukes of Hazzard."

Gabriel snickered, pulling a candy bar from his backpack and unwrapping it after making sure there were no teachers around. "He's not the first kid to get smitten with my brother. One look at those big blue eyes and he has just about everyone falling at his feet."

"Dean's doomed."

"Oh yeah. Castiel doesn't date. Like, at all."

"Poor Dean."

The chuckled and continued talking on their way to the next class they had together, finding that they had almost everything in common, from music to the fact they frequently got into fights with their fathers. The one thing they didn't have in common was their eating habits, given that Sam preferred salads and healthy food while Gabriel loved sweets to no end. He was always munching on a candy bar when the teachers weren't looking.

Meanwhile, Castiel was on his way to class, Dean falling into step beside him. The Winchester was rambling on in an attempt to start conversation, but Castiel looked over at him timidly, unsure how to respond. People stared at him sometimes, but he wasn't used to anyone but Gabriel actually trying to get him to talk to them. Dean didn't seem like he was going to give up.

"So, Cas, what kinda books do you read? I'm a pretty big fan of Busty Asian Beauties…" Dean rambled.

Castiel glanced over, something in the sentence catching his attention. "You called me Cas."

Dean jumped, having not actually expected Castiel to talk. His voice was beautiful, soft and low, not nearly as high pitched as most kids his age. He cleared his throat and said, "Um, yeah. Sorry."

"It's okay," Castiel murmured in that lovely voice. "I don't mind."

"Alright then, Cas. Why don't you talk to anyone? Well, I mean, besides me I guess…"

"Because I rarely meet someone that appeals to me. I like you, Dean."

Dean smiled. "You do, huh? I kinda like you too."

"You don't know me."

"You don't know me either," Dean countered.

"I don't have to know you to like you."

Dean suddenly wondered what kind of "like" they were talking about. "Maybe we could…"

"…Could what, Dean?" Castiel asked when he trailed off.

It had never happened before, but Dean lost his nerve with one look at those freakin' blue eyes. "Um, nothing, just forget I said anything." Getting attached was a bad idea, they never stayed in one place for long. It wouldn't be fair to really get to know Castiel and then just ditch him. He liked Castile a hell of a lot more than he did all the girls he had flirted with at his old schools.

"Right," Castiel said, masking his disappointment. "I'll see you later then."

He walked off to class, slightly dejected, leaving Dean to stand there and wonder why he had to screw up every good thing he ever managed to get. Dean sighed and went to his own class. One day in this school and everything was already going haywire. Could nothing _ever_ be simple? He sat down next to Jo in math class, fiddling with the edge of his red notebook.

She glanced over. "What's the matter, Dean?"

"Cas. I think he might like me, and I really like him, but it won't work." Geez, he was spilling his gut like a _girl_.

"Why not?"

"Because we always have to leave, my brother and me. Our dad moves around a lot and it wouldn't be fair to lead Cas on," he admitted.

"Have you considered explaining all this to him and seeing if he still wants to try something, even if it's temporary?" she asked.

Dean snorted. "He doesn't seem the type."

Crowley, who was sitting on Dean's other side, said, "You don't even know the lad good enough to make that call. If you're not going to be here long, at least make the best of it."

"Crowley and Jo are right, man," Chuck added. "Even if it's only for a little while, you should give it a shot. It's obvious you two like each other. I haven't seen him talk to someone that openly - yes, that was considered openly - unless it's Gabriel."

Dean bristled with unjustified jealousy. "Who's Gabriel?"

"Get your knickers out of a twist," Crowley sighed. "Gabriel's his brother, who seems to be hitting on yours."

Dean fumed. "He's WHAT?" Oh crap. Protective older brother instincts, full speed ahead.

"Voice down, Winchester!" the teacher scolded.

Crowley, Jo, and Chuck all laughed under their breath while Dean started furiously scribbling down notes. He had a thing for the shy, adorable blue eyed kid, his brother was already getting hit on by said blue eyed kid's brother, his friends thought it was all a big joke, and he had no idea what to do about any of it. Worst. First. Day. Ever. And that was exactly what he wrote on the first page of his notebook in all capital letters.

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><p>As school was letting out, Sam and Dean walked outside together and waited for their father's Impala to pull up. Sam decided to fill the void with some conversation, starting with, "I think I'm going to like this school. I'm sorry I didn't trust you."<p>

Dean watched as Cas sat down on the ground a good distance away. "I don't know if I love this school or hate it."

"You've met someone," Sam deduced easily. He could read his big brother like an open book.

"Have not," Dean said defensively.

"C'mon Dean, this is me you're talking to. This person you've met…shy?" the younger brother asked, because unless this kid was shy, Dean would be flirting his ass off by now. He already knew who it was, but he thought it would do Dean some good to get it off his chest.

"Yeah."

"I'm sure dad will understand if maybe you want something serious, he's not judgmental and if he's shy..." he trailed off, seeing that Dean made no move to deny that it was a guy he'd taken to.

"Stop it, Sam. It's just some stupid crush."

"You've got a crush, huh?"

"It's not a crush! I didn't mean to say that. He's just a friend," Dean muttered. "And I think I upset him somehow anyways."

"It's okay to like a boy. Gender doesn't matter," Sam said, knowing that it would make Dean hesitate a little because it was a guy.

Dean was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to consider that Sam might have found his own Novak sibling. "Yeah, whatever Sammy."

The Impala pulled up, and the brothers rode home in silence.

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><p>Gabriel walked over to Castiel outside and asked, "Why the long face, bro?"<p>

"No reason," he mumbled, picking at a piece of grass.

"Liar. C'mon, spill, it's me you're talking to." It was oddly similar to how Sam had addressed Dean.

"It's Dean," Castiel blurted without meaning to. "I thought he liked me, and he even gave me a nickname, but I think I scared him off. He seemed like he was going to ask something and then he just stopped."

"Ever consider the fact he lost his nerve?"

"Dean? He doesn't seem the ty-"

"If you say 'doesn't seem the type' then so help me I will kick your ass. You don't know him will enough to make those of assumptions. When you want something, you go get it, you don't just sit around."

Castiel looked up at him with his signature puppy dog eyes. "What should I do?"

"Tell him you like him. See what happens," Gabriel instructed.

"What if I was wrong to think he reciprocated my feelings? I know we've only known each other for a day, but I already care about him. His soul calls to me," Castiel confessed quietly. "I can feel it."

"Thanks, Edgar Allen Poe. Can we please skip the lovey dovey 'Aww I want to bang Dean's beautiful soul' speech? Anyways, that's exactly why you can't let him slip through your fingers if you like him that much. This is your first real crush kiddo." To only be twelve, Gabriel not only had his mind firmly planted in the gutter but also called his big brother "kiddo."

Castiel looked up from where he was sitting cross-legged in the grass. "What about our father? He is not only our father but the principle of this school. He would make Dean's life miserable if he found out he and I…"

"Michael is a homophobic douche wad," Gabriel cut in. "Let him think whatever he wants to. What matters to you more: Dean, or our dad?"

"Dean." The answer came quicker than Castiel liked. Truth was, he'd never gotten along with his father, nor had Gabriel. "You're suggesting I rebel against our family. That I disregard everything they've engrained in me."

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting."

Their eyes locked together. Gabriel, the rebel; Castiel, the good son. So different but so very alike in all the ways that truly mattered. They had a number of siblings, but at the end of the day, they were the only people that mattered to each other. They'd looked after each other in the constant chaos that was their home for how long, and now they'd both met someone worth risking everything for. The time had come to stand up to their family. But to tell the truth? Castiel was afraid. Oh, how he was afraid.

**To Be Continued**


	3. Gabriel's Simple Question

"_You sit there in your heartache_

_Waiting on some beautiful boy to_

_To save you from your old ways."_

_~When We Were Young by The Killers_

When Sam and Dean got home from school, it was like their roles had been reversed. Sam was the happy one, Dean was the walking personification of teen angst. The older Winchester brother was silent at the dinner table as Sam rambled on about all the people he'd met, including his new best friend Gabriel, because Dean's mind was too distracted to contribute any attention to the conversation. Blue eyes and tousled brown hair invaded his mind's eye and didn't allow him any thoughts that didn't go back to Cas. _All roads lead to Rome_, he thought grimly. Or in this case, all roads lead to the adorable dark haired boy in the trench coat. He looked like a miniature tax accountant.

"So Dean, did you meet anyone at school?" Mary asked.

He snapped out of his trancelike state of being in deep thought. "Um, a few people, yeah."

"He made pretty good friends with Gabriel's brother," Sam added.

"Cas is okay," Dean shrugged nonchalantly. He didn't want anyone to realize just how much he liked Castiel. "And I met a few other people. Jo, Crowley, and Chuck. They're not too bad."

"Any good teachers?"

"Mr. Singer. He's the history teacher," Dean explained, grinning. "He calls us idjits. But he's awesome."

John smiled as well. "See? I told you moving wouldn't be so bad."

Another image of Castiel came to Dean's mind. Maybe his father was right…maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. After dinner, Dean went upstairs and sat down at his desk, spreading his homework out on the desk. Math was making absolutely zero sense to him. He would have asked his boy genius of a brother, because even though it was a higher grade Sam would probably know how to help, his dignity couldn't quite allow him to ask his little brother to tutor him. Maybe he could find someone in his own grade to help him tomorrow, Jo or one of her friends possibly.

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><p>The next day at school, Dean actually had somewhere to sit at lunch instead of wandering around until he found an empty table. Jo waved him over to where she sat with Crowley and Chuck. He smiled and sat across from them at the table, digging into his lunch. Though he still couldn't quite stop thinking about Castiel, he at least managed to reassure himself with the fact he could try talking to Cas again today and maybe mend the awkwardness he'd created the day prior. After a night spent thinking over everything, things were looking up.<p>

He looked around and saw Cas (speak of the devil) sitting alone at a table, picking at his food. Dean couldn't help but think that he looked lonely. He politely excused himself from Jo's table, picked up his tray, and walked over to Castiel. The blue eyed boy looked up, seemingly a bit surprised at Dean's arrival.

Dean gave Cas his best charming grin and motioned to the empty spot beside him. "Is this seat taken?"

Castiel shook his head. Dean smiled and sat down, his arm brushing Cas' in the process and sending a little jolt through him. Both seemed to notice how sparks flew whenever they came in contact and were careful to avoid touching each other lest the growing tension make things awkward once more. Yesterday had been odd enough, they didn't need another incident. Hopefully today would go smoother.

"Sorry for acting so weird yesterday," Dean said.

Castiel shrugged. "It's okay."

"Tell me about yourself."

Cas considered the request for a moment. "I have a large family. My father is Michael, the principle, and I have many siblings. Gabriel is the only one I'm close to. My sister Anna is a freshman in high school, my uncle Zachariah prefers my older twin brothers Uriel and Raphael. They're sophomores. My mother died giving birth to Gabriel. I was so young that I barely remember her. None of my brothers or sisters will discuss her, nor will my father. I suppose besides Gabriel, I don't even consider them my family." He'd never told anyone all of that before and he was surprised at how easy it was to open up to Dean.

"I'm sorry, man. I've got my one brother and my parents, but I can't imagine having a family that big. What's with all the angel names?"

"Religious family." Understatement, but even though Cas didn't want to lie to Dean, he figured he would send the boy running for the hills if he told him that he was an angel from a family full of angels. "To be honest…my father doesn't approve of Gabriel and I. We're just too different."

"How do you mean?"

Cas scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "From a young age, Gabriel and I were very…_decided_, about our sexuality."

"Oh," Dean nodded. "So your old man disowned you because you're gay?" He was actually a little (a lot) relieved that the object of his affection was homosexual.

"To put it bluntly, yes."

"That blows."

The blue eyed boy tilted his head. "I do not understand that saying."

Dean snorted and rolled his eyes good naturedly, deciding to go for a lighter topic. "I don't guess you're any good at math?"

"I'm not too bad at it. Why?"

"Well I kinda need a tutor, and I was hoping you might consider helping me out after school?"

Cas smiled somewhat shyly. "Sure, Dean. I can tutor you."

"Thanks Cas, you're a lifesaver."

Castiel gave him another small smile and they finished their lunch in companionable silence.

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><p>"Hey Sam!" Gabriel called out.<p>

It was after lunch and everyone was heading to their classes, but Sam looked over his shoulder at Gabriel. "Yeah?"

The young angel strode over to Sam boldly. "Do you like me?" Might as well take the direct approach, he figured. Gabriel wasn't one for foreplay.

"I've only known you for a day, but sure, you seem nice enough…" Sam said, confused.

"No, I mean _like_ me."

Sam flushed to the roots of his hair. "Oh, I, um, I don't know if, um…"

"Maybe this will help you make up your mind."

Gabriel got up on his tiptoes, grabbed the front of Sam's shirt, and hauled him forwards into a kiss. To say Sam was shocked was a huge understatement. He was frozen for a few moments, and by the time his mind finally remembered to either respond to or reject Gabriel, the blond pulled away and leaned back, grinning. Becky was standing a few feet away and glaring daggers, but she went ignored.

"So, whaddya say?"

Sam took a deep breath. "Did you really just…kiss me…?"

"Yep. Want a recap?"

"I remember it pretty well, thanks anyways," Sam said quickly. "Why did you just kiss me…?"

Gabriel sighed. "Okay, looks like I'll have to spell it out for you. And here I thought you were the smart one. Sam, would you like to be my boyfriend?"

Sam swallowed. Boyfriend? Wow. Um, okay…this is generally where he would say something. "No" was probably the most apt response, but for some reason, he couldn't force the word out of his mouth. It was wedged in his throat. Momentarily forgetting about what Dean would think, about what his parents and all other people in the world would think, Sam smiled and bit his lip. Gabriel was waiting patiently, because come on, it was a pretty simple question.

"Yeah. I think I'd like that," Sam said. They smiled at each other, and then he added, "Just wait until we tell Dean."

Gabriel snorted. "Oh please. Wait until we tell my _dad_."

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><p>Later, Dean and Cas were in the library pouring over math books, Castiel trying to make Dean understand the concept of Alegbra ½. They sat across from each other, separated by a table and the papers scattered across it. Dean had buried his face in his folded arms, cursing in a manner surprisingly colorful for someone his age. Cas sighed and closed the math textbooks. They could try again tomorrow. The human decided to make conversation.<p>

"So, Cas, what's with the trench coat? Not that you don't look good, but you could do with some better fitting clothes," Dean commented.

Castiel swallowed. The human was flirting with him, that much was obvious. "I, um, like it…" His shyness was kicking in.

"You don't have to get all girly on me, man. I don't bite. Not unless you say please," Dean said with an eyebrow waggle.

Castiel's went wide. He'd been flirted with, but never before had he gotten such a direct innuendo. Dean's laugh was melodic as he amused himself with Cas' discomfort. They got up from the table, stuffing books into backpacks, the blue eyed angel flushed a deep scarlet. Dean decided that he needed to go ahead and take the chance, ask Cas out while he still had the nerve.

"Cas, do you wanna-"

"Castiel."

There was no missing the way Castiel trembled at the low growl that came out to form his name, the sound coming from a few feet away. They turned around to see Michael; or to Dean, principle Novak, glaring at Cas until those blue eyes were meek and submissive. Dean bristled at how deliberately the older man was frightening Castiel, the younger boy so obviously terrified of his father.

"Yes, father?"

Michael was in every bit of his son's personal space, his voice a low hiss. "I don't want you associating with these humans. I forbid it."

This was Castiel's chance to make a stand. To say no, to follow Gabriel's example and not only become a big brother that could be looked up to by Gabriel, but he could actually stop fearing contact with every possible boyfriend he met. Ever since he'd "come out" to his father three years ago, he'd been scared to fall for someone after Michael had put the fear of God in him. Castiel clenched his jaw and stepped back, turning around to face Dean.

"As you were saying, Dean?"

"Would you like to…go out with me sometime?" he asked hesitantly.

Finding the confidence he thought he might have lost forever, Cas said loudly enough for his father to hear, "I would _love_ to."

"Great!" Dean said happily.

The two of them left the library together, Castiel throwing a glance over his shoulder to see his father fuming, too shocked at his son's behavior to follow but clearly furious. Cas swallowed his fear and continued walking. He'd done it. He had finally broken free of the shell that had been encasing him in fear and loneliness for years now. All it had taken was one human boy, and one little nudge from his brother. Cas was happy, even thrilled at the prospect of going out with Dean, but the angel had no idea that the worst had yet to come.

**To Be Continued**


	4. Becky's Threat

***Love you all to little bitty tiny pieces for your wonderful feedback! Definitely sending huge hugs your way. Reaper's Curse, I'm sorry there isn't more Lucifer in this chapter for you, but I put a brief (very brief) scene of him there per your request ;-) Thanks again my lovelies!**

"_I knew when we collided_

_You're the one I have decided _

_Who is one of my kind."_

_~Hey Soul Sister by Train_

After dinner that night, Sam rushed into Dean's room and they said in unison, "Man, I have to talk to you!"

"You first," Sam said.

"I have a date with Castiel Novak."

"I have a date with Gabriel Novak."

The brothers shared equally excited grins. "We should sneak out of the house to go on our dates. That would make it more fun," Dean said mischievously.

Sam frowned. "But mom and dad-"

"Exactly. What sounds more appealing, having to be back by a set hour or sneaking out to see Cas and Gabriel? Let's have some fun for a change."

"I guess this once…" Sam agreed hesitantly.

"Thatta boy Sammy. Tomorrow we'll talk to them and set up a time to meet," Dean said with a grin. "And if I find out Gabriel did anything to hurt you, I will rip his lungs out and shove them up his ass."

"I know, I know," Sam laughed. "But he won't hurt me."

"He better not."

They went their separate ways and went to bed, both dreaming of their angels…though they didn't even know they were angels yet. Sam's dreams seem to revolve quite simply around Gabriel and candy, both which fell hand in hand, but Dean's were more complex. He saw a mass of white feathers, two sapphire blue eyes, and then it all ran together into one confusing, senseless dream. In the morning he would be lost trying to figure out what it all meant.

* * *

><p>"Castiel, we are going to talk," Michael growled when they got home after school.<p>

Cas had taken a leaf from Gabriel's book and had a brand new bold streak. "Actually no. We're not," he said simply, jerking his arm from his father's grasp and going upstairs, shutting his door, locking it behind him.

Gabriel, who had been the first one to dash upstairs when they got home, was sitting on Castiel's bed smiling. "Didn't that feel good?"

"It felt great," Cas admitted, his shy smile returning.

"See? I told you that you could do it," Gabriel said proudly. "We've got dates, we've got backbones, and we've got a candy stash. Life is good, brother."

"We? I didn't know you had a date. Why didn't you mention it when I told you about mine and Dean's on the way home? Who is it? Do I know him?"

Gabriel snickered as Cas went into big brother mode. "It's Sam Winchester. Dean's brother."

"Oh. Well then," Castiel said, the air going out of his over protectiveness for the moment. Anyone related to Dean was a friend in his book.

"I wonder where they're gonna take us," Gabriel mused.

Cas flopped down on his bed next to his brother with a small smile. "I hope Dean takes me somewhere special. Where it can just be he and I."

"Not me. I wanna show Sammy off."

"He is not a poodle, Gabriel."

"You're such a stick in the mud."

Again, the head tilt. "I do not understand that reference. I am not stick and I have never been placed in the mud."

Gabriel gave him a "seriously?" look. His brother understood references about as well as Gabriel understood why a bunch of idiots had invented sugar free cake. Cas changed into pajamas, and Gabriel left to do the same, only to come back and lay down on Castiel's bed again. They laid side by side, talking about their boyfriends, talking about their family, talking about what would happen if Sam and Dean found out they were angels. Cas thought they would freak out, Gabriel thought they'd think it was cool. They agreed to disagree and finally dozed off next to each other.

* * *

><p>The next morning, when Cas went got dressed and downstairs to start the short walk to school (he certainly wasn't going with his father) he opened the front door and found a figure sitting on the steps. Even from behind, the angel recognized Dean, who was seemingly waiting on Cas.<p>

"How did you know where to find me?" Castiel asked softly.

Dean turned around and stood up. "I called Jo this morning, and it turns out I live three doors down from you. Thought I'd walk you to school."

"Thank you," Cas said earnestly. The gesture meant a lot to him.

They started the walk to school, their hands and shoulders occasionally brushing. Castiel longed to reach for Dean's hand, but even though he'd made a stand against his father, he still wasn't quite that bold yet when it came to non family members. So they walked for awhile, enjoying the simplicity of each other's company. It was Dean who spoke first.

"Is tonight okay? For our, um, date?"

"That would be fine." Cas kept his voice level to hide his excitement.

"Cool. Well I want to surprise you, so I'll come get you when I'm ready, okay?" Dean said .

"I am looking forward to it."

Dean grinned and intentionally brushed the top of his hand against Castiel's. "Me too, Cas."

* * *

><p>Becky was gossiping with her friend Ruby, both who wanted Sam and were jealous of Gabriel. Becky knew Ruby was a demon, but that didn't really matter. She also talked to Crowley whenever they ran into each other even though they were in different grades. Becky was one of the few humans that knew about the demons and angels, simply because she knew to only gossip about it with said supernaturals, <em>never<em> humans unless it was Jo or Chuck. As insane as the girl was, the supernaturals at the school trusted her. A few teachers also had a few secrets up their sleeves.

Bobby Singer, the history teacher who was also a hunter, would never lay a finger on his students even though they were demons. He'd been weary of them at first, but he soon realized they were just kids. It wasn't their fault what they were. So he kept their secret, he kept the angels' secret, and hunted every other supernatural son of a bitch he could get his hands on. It took an amazing amount of restraint not to try and smite the biology teacher Lucifer Novak, a distant uncle of Castiel and Gabriel's that was a dickwad angel, but Bobby had no idea how to kill an angel.

Speaking of angels, a certain pint sized blond one was doodling on Sam's hand in class. Little shapes all over the top, from hearts to stars. Sam smiled over at his boyfriend affectionately. Mr. Lucifer rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything because of all his distant family members, Gabriel was his favorite. Not that he would admit it if his life depended on it.

"So what are we studying today, Mr. Lucifer?" Gabriel asked with complete boredom.

The older angel sighed. "Well I wanted to do a course on 101 ways to start the Apocalypse, but Michael threw a tantrum. It would make him very upset if we studied that. So guess what we're studying?" At the room's expectant silence, he smirked and said, "101 ways to start the Apocalypse. Ms. Rosen will be handing out your worksheets, I don't believe you will find this in your textbooks."

"I thought this was biology class," Ruby said.

"It is. Consider this 101 ways to start the Apocalypse in a humane, biological kind of way." Ruby snorted but didn't press the matter.

* * *

><p>After class, Gabriel asked, "So where are we going for our first date?"<p>

"How about the diner? I hear they have the best chocolate sundaes around."

Gabriel perked up at the idea of sugar. "Okay, sounds perfect!"

Much less nervous of contact than their brothers, they linked hands and walked down the hall together, ignoring the stares of fellow students. Sam figured that him and Dean could invite their boyfriends over for dinner sometime to introduce them to John and Mary. They would most likely love Cas to death, the shy little thing, but Sam would probably have to make sure Gabriel stayed on good behavior if that was even humanly possible. He also didn't need to be thinking so far ahead because they hadn't even gone on their first date yet, but he was excited and couldn't help it.

They didn't have their next class together, so Becky came over and grabbed Gabriel's arm, hauling him away from a rather surprised Sam. Gabriel shrugged to the best of his abilities while being drug away by his blond classmate. She pulled him into a closet and put her hands on her hips.

"What?"

She raised her eyebrows. "What? You know what! How long is it going to take for you to tell Sam you're an angel?"

"I don't wanna scare him off," Gabriel retorted. "He's human, how do you think he'd respond to his new boyfriend having wings?"

"It's not fair to lie to him. You boys need to come clean and tell the Winchesters the truth. They deserve to know what they're getting into." Becky was a curious mix of the school flirt and the mother hen of the group.

Gabriel sighed. "I will soon, okay?"

"You better," she said, opening the door and shoving him out into the hallway. "Or I will."

* * *

><p>"This sundae is <em>awesome<em>," Gabriel said, shoveling in another spoonful.

Sam laughed and took a daintier bite of his own. "I think this is the best first date in history."

"Couldn't have said it better myself."

It was a nice, old fashioned diner, complete with poodle skirt wearing waitresses and a jukebox. Even the food was straight out of the fabulous fifties, and there were framed Elvis Presley records lining the walls. It was perfect. If either boy had entertained doubts that they wouldn't be going on a second date, those doubts were quickly erased. This one was too perfect for them not to want to go on another one.

They even fed each other bites of each others' sundaes, and a few other people in the diner went "Aww" at the two adorable boys. It was a small town where kids could still go out at night on their own and be perfectly safe. Gabriel giggled when Sam got ice cream on his nose and wiped it away, leaning over to kiss the tip of his human's nose. Sam blushed and elicited another grin from Gabriel. The two were - and Gabriel could appreciate the irony in the sentence - a match made in Heaven.

Sam decided then and there that no matter what it took, no matter how hard he had to beg his father, he couldn't bear to leave this town, to leave his Gabriel. He just couldn't.

* * *

><p>Castiel felt like he'd been stood up. It was nearly nine o' clock at night, his parents were asleep, Gabriel was still out with Sam (the parents would certainly be pissed about that) and Dean was nowhere to be found. Cas was still dressed, sitting on his bed and starting to lose the naïve hope that Dean would actually show up. He knew he shouldn't be surprised, because really, what would someone like Dean Winchester want with him? He could do so much better than Cas, damaged Cas with his messed up family, and the angel knew it.<p>

Rapping on the window drew him from his mental cloud of angst.

He pulled the curtains back to reveal Dean, who had somehow climbed up to the small ledge outside his window. Not quite a Romeo moment because the human was barely keeping his balance and directing a string of profanities at the inadequate size of the outer windowsill, but it was the thought that counted, right? Cas honestly couldn't be happier that Dean was _there_. He felt guilty for doubting his human. His heart skipped a beat: this was his first date. Ever.

"Let's go," Dean said as he opened the window.

Cas peered down from his second story room. "How?"

"The tree beside your window I used to get up here. Come on."

"I'm scared of heights," Cas admitted bashfully.

Dean held out his hand. "I won't let you fall. Promise."

Cas smiled warmly and took a deep breath, accepting the offered hand. They soon found themselves climbing down the tree, their light bodies gracefully going from branch to branch, Dean staying below Cas at all times so he could catch him if he fell. Technically Castiel knew he didn't need to be afraid of heights because he could fly, but he'd been taught to never, ever use his wings, and most of the time he practically forgot about the added appendages that always stayed tucked so tight against his back that they were invisible to the naked eye. The only thing that reminded him they were there was the soft, comforting press of feathers against his spine.

"Told you it would be okay," Dean said when they reached the bottom.

"Where are we going?" Cas inquired as they crossed the lawn.

Dean hesitated briefly before taking Castiel's hand, lacing their fingers together tightly. "That is for me to know…and for you to find out."

**To Be Continued**


	5. Dean's First Love

***Warning: This chapter has nothing to with the plot. It is fluff, fluff, and more fluff :D I only put part of the lyrics, but this chapter was totally inspired by It's Gonna Be Love by Mandy Moore! *spine snapping hugs to all of the AMAZING readers that are way too awesome for words***

_"It's gonna be love, it's gonna be great_

_It's gonna be more than I can take_

_It's gonna be free, it's gonna be real_

_It's gonna change everything I feel."_

_~It's Gonna Be Love by Mandy Moore_

"Cas, you have to promise me something," Dean said.

"Of course, anything," Castiel replied, ever the trusting one.

They were nearly to Dean's destination, their feet aching from the long walk. "Don't laugh or call me a chick."

"I would never do such a thing." Castiel's voice was so grave and sincere that Dean had to laugh at his adorable, deadpan boyfriend.

"Close your eyes."

When those bright blue eyes slipped shut, Dean tugged him through the woods, not slowing down until their feet hit level ground untainted by weeds and underbrush. A bit slower now, he led Castiel up onto a pier that stretched out over a clear, wide lake. His boyfriend followed trustingly and without hesitation.

"Open them."

Castiel did, and sucked in a surprised breath. On the pier was a table, two chairs, a backpack presumably containing dinner, and candles on the table. It was the most romantic thing he'd ever seen. He was speechless as Dean pulled out his chair for him and pushed it back in as he sat down. Dean then took his place across from Cas, fixing him with a nervously hopeful expression.

"Dean…this is perfect," Cas whispered.

A relieved smile broke out across Dean's face. "Hungry?"

"Very." As an angel, he didn't have to eat, but he'd gotten so used to it that he got hungry sometimes.

Dinner wasn't all that remarkable as far as the food went, it was cold sandwiches and canned drinks, but to Castiel it was the most perfect date in the world. He'd wanted it to just be him and Dean, and here they were, alone. The fact Dean had brought this folding plastic table and chairs out here simply to be romantic, that he'd been excited about Castiel's reaction, that he'd even asked him out in the first place…it filled the angel with more happiness than he'd ever felt before.

"This is perfect," he voiced aloud as they ate.

Dean smiled at him warmly, taking his hand across the table. His guard was down now that he wasn't around other people, and he was more confident in displays of affection. Cas loved the warmth of Dean's palm, of the strength of the human's fingers as they linked together with his own. They shared a long, held gaze that had Castiel's stomach doing flip flops.

Dean rubbed his thumb across the top of Castiel's hand. "Do you think maybe…we could do this again sometime?"

"I would love that," Cas replied, smiling and blushing a little.

After they ate, they packed the backpack back up and decided to go for a walk. They left the backpack behind to retrieve when they got back. The moonlight drifted down to light their way as they walked, hand in hand, just like Cas had wanted to do since Dean had first asked him out.

They stopped at the edge of the lake and turned to each other. Dean tentatively removed one hand from Castiel's and slid it up the angel's arm. When Cas didn't object, he repeated the motion with his other hand and only stilled them when he had gently cupped Castiel's face. His heart was hammering in his chest, and so was Castiel's.

"Hey Cas?"

"Yes?"

"I'm really glad you decided to stand up to your dad."

Castiel smiled and leaned forwards, just a little. "Me too, Dean."

Dean gave Cas plenty of time to pull away, but he didn't. Castiel closed his eyes as he felt Dean's mouth softly touch his, and he nervously reached up, laying a hand on the back of Dean's neck. When his human pressed forward just a little harder with his mouth, Castiel gave in and gripped his fingers in Dean's hair, opening his mouth. The kiss was both passionate and sweet; heady and tender. They lost track of how long they stood in each other's arms, kissing softly.

It was the best first kiss Castiel could have ever hoped to have imagined. Embracing the first boy he'd ever fallen for, being treated as if he was loved and cherished, the moonlight casting an ethereal silvery light on them. He decided that standing up to his family, that defying his father, that being thrown onto a new path that he'd never once set foot upon before…it was all worth it. Dean was worth it.

* * *

><p>"I had a really great time tonight, Sam."<p>

"Wanna do it again sometime?" Sam asked hopefully.

Gabriel smiled as Sam walked him home. "I guess I could suffer through one more date."

They stopped under the very same tree Dean and Cas had used. Gabriel intended to climb it, slide into Castiel's room unnoticed, and then go into his own room. He really didn't feel like Michael riding his ass tonight. He'd just had the best night of his entire life, and he certainly wasn't going to let that tight assed prick ruin it.

"Thanks for bringing me home."

"Don't mention it." Sam helped Gabriel up into the lower branches of the tree and gave him a parting smile. "I'll see you at school tomorrow!" he called over his shoulder as he walked away.

"See you then!" Gabriel called back as he ascended the tree with the agility of a monkey.

Gabriel made his way to his room and resisted the urge to squeal and squeak and dance. He was giddy from the best date in the history of the universe. Sam was his other half, he just knew it. Castiel had always been the naïve one, but Gabriel was so far gone for Sam that all rationality had disappeared. He just wanted Sam, wanted his Sammy for the rest of his life. Gabriel figured that after his date with Dean, Cas would be feeling the same way.

* * *

><p>The young lovers finally parted, their eyes remaining closed for a few moments. Dean's were the first to open. He brushed his lips in a feather light touch against Castiel's closed eyes, and they fluttered open slowly. They stared into each other's eyes like a scene from a chick flick, still standing in each other's arms. Dean couldn't get enough of the way his heart swelled whenever his skin came into contact with Castiel's, and he pressed a kiss to his boyfriend's temple, not releasing Cas from his embrace.<p>

Dean's tender, loving kisses were reducing the angel to a trembling mess in his arms. Castiel had never been touched like this, never even been held by his father, let alone by someone that cared for him the way Dean did. Of course the human would never tell anyone how long he stood there, content to hold and lightly kiss Castiel until his heart felt in danger of bursting, because his dignity put its metaphorical foot down. No way was he telling anyone about this moment. It was too special, too intimate.

After spending his life alone, not getting attached to anyone, Dean_ needed_ this. Maybe falling so hard so fast was stupid because he knew that they couldn't stay, but he'd never felt something this strong and he intended to cling to it like a lifeline. He couldn't believe it because he'd only known this blue eyed, beautiful boy for a few short days, but as hard as he tried to deny it to himself…he was fairly certain he had made the grave mistake of falling in love with Castiel Novak.

**To Be Continued**


	6. The Novak Family's Past

***This one actually has a little something to do with the plot, lol! I also warn that there is some angst in here. And of course huge, bone fracturing hugs to you all!**

"_I have loved to the point of madness. That which to me, is the only sensible way to love."_

_~Francoise Sagan_

When Sam got home, he got an earful of "Do you have any idea what time it is?" and "Where have you been?" and "You better have a good explanation for this, Samuel Winchester" from his parents. Unfortunately they'd heard him slip inside and try to sneak upstairs. He smiled sheepishly and fumbled for an explanation as to why it was ten p.m. and he'd just now gotten home. John and Mary didn't know that the brothers were dating the Novaks.

"Well, I was on a, um, date…"

John puffed up like a cat in need of a grooming job. "You were on a _date_, and you didn't feel the need to inform us you were leaving? We were worried sick about you!"

"John, simmer down, he's only eleven!" Mary scolded before turning to Sam. "Baby, I'm sure you didn't know any better, but if you ever do that again, I will lock you in your closet for a week, and don't put it past me sweetie."

Sam gulped. His mom was way scarier than his dad. "Yes ma'am. Sorry mom, sorry dad."

"So who is this little lady?" John inquired, not looking very happy about not grounding Sam on the spot.

"Um, it's not a lady…it's Gabriel Novak."

John's jaw might as well have hit the really ugly rug, but Mary was as supportive as ever. "Well that's nice honey. Just don't sneak out late again, okay? Remember that you have a locking closet."

Sam forced a fearful smile and hurriedly told them goodnight before scurrying upstairs. Dean wasn't home yet, which made him wonder why his parents weren't asking about his older brother's whereabouts. But he certainly wasn't going to sell his brother out, so he decided to wait up on Dean so they could trade details on their dates when he got back. He changed into pajamas and curled up on his bed, waiting for Dean to get home.

* * *

><p>"Dean, I really don't think I can tell you how much tonight meant to me. It was perfect," Castiel said.<p>

"So I guess that means you're up for a second date?"

He smiled. "Absolutely."

Cas was standing in his room and Dean was perched on the small ledge outside his window. They exchanged one more kiss before telling each other goodnight, and after the human climbed down the rather useful tree, Castiel stared after Dean until he could no longer see the human's form. Dean threw a glance over his shoulder and saw his boyfriend silhouetted against the window. He smiled and continued the walk home, having not a thing to be worried about, given that he'd told his parents he was going over to Mr. Singer's, who'd become a very close friend of John's. He thought that maybe he should have clued Sam in on the excuse too, but he'd been too thrilled over his date with Cas to think about it.

He went in, his parents asked if he had a good time, and he calmly responded that he had, but that he was exhausted and going to bed. They didn't so much as bat an eyelash when he told them goodnight and went upstairs, backpack in tow. Thankfully going over to a teacher's house with a backpack was far from out of the ordinary, so that part was covered up, though he would have to move the table and chairs back to the garage tomorrow. Lugging them out to the lake had been a pain in the ass, but well worth it.

Dean was still smiling to himself when he went in his room and found Sam waiting for him. He was surprised to see his younger brother still awake given that it was just after midnight. It was a small miracle that his parents hadn't thrown a rod for him being gone for so long, but they trusted and liked Bobby Singer. Dean was off the hook. Sam, on the other hand, had gotten the fear of God put in them by their mother, the poor kid. Dean would have to teach him a thing or two about sneaking out.

"How did it go?" Sam demanded eagerly.

Dean sat down on the bed next to his brother, smiling so widely he thought his face might start hurting. "If you ever tell anyone I told you this I will end you, but it was the most amazing night of my life."

"Mine too! Gabriel's just so…" Sam trailed off, at as much of a loss on how to describe Gabriel as Dean was on Cas.

"Yeah. Cas too. If I tell you a secret, will you not tell anyone else?" Dean asked. He was not as young as Sam, but he still had the natural adolescent instinct to confide his feelings, an instinct he would scoff at and deny having in later years.

"Of course Dean, what is it?" Sam questioned excitedly.

Dean bit his lip, and he could still feel the softness and warmth of Castiel's mouth against his own. "I think I'm in love."

"How do you know when you're in love?"

"I don't know how to explain it…I never felt it before tonight."

"Promise me we won't move," Sam pleaded.

Dean's heart gave a painful lurch. Leaving Cas would pretty much feel like having the beating organ torn from his chest, he just knew it. But as badly as he wanted to…he couldn't promise Sam that. Because there was no way of knowing if they would have to move again. The one thing Dean _did _know was that if he had to leave Cas behind…he'd never be the same.

* * *

><p>Castiel sat in the attic, the haven he retreated to when he had thinking to do. It was well past midnight, but Michael hadn't cared when he got home, his father had been giving him the silentglaring treatment since that day at the library. That was more than fine with Cas, who got to walk to school with Dean and ignore his father completely. Gabriel had been on Castiel's bed when he got home, probably waiting up for him, but the angel had fallen asleep. Cas had taken Gabriel to his room and tucked him under his blankets before coming up to the attic.

He had been in love with Dean quite possibly from the second he saw the human, and tonight had only made those feelings more intensified. That kiss…oh, that kiss. His heart had been beating so fast that he feared it would stop altogether. Dean's arms around him, the love coloring his human's aura…it had been overwhelming. Cas had known that Dean cared about him, but it wasn't until tonight that he realized that his love was requited.

But if his love knew his secrets, his past, things might be different. The hatred and violence that ran in his family, the same hatred and violence that haunted Castiel's nightmares for so long now. The young angel's main objective had always been to keep Gabriel safe, to keep him from witnessing just how dark of a side their father had. He held true to that objective to this very day.

Castiel stared down at his left arm, which had never been the same since it had first gotten broken three years ago.

_Michael and Anna were screaming at each other, the hotheaded girl right up in his face, protesting that she had every right to tell her boyfriend that she was an angel, that he deserved the truth. He yelled back that he would _never_allow her to betray the family secret. She screamed that she was fully of capable of making her own choices and that she would tell him whether Michael approved or not._

"_Go ahead and try, see how far I let you get!" Michael screeched furiously._

"_Fine!" Anna spat, turning to walk out the door._

_Michael grabbed her arm and viciously spun her back around hard enough to make Anna cry out in pain. Castiel had been standing on the stairs, watching in horror from behind the banister. Cas, only ten years old, saw the small act of violence and took off down the stairs to step between them and defend Anna even though she hated Castiel. That was just who he was._

_He barely got within a few inches of his father when Michael flicked a finger and suddenly Castiel was flying backwards, his body colliding with the wall. His arm took the worst of the pain, aching from his wrist up to his shoulder. Anna, in spite of how many times she'd called Cas a freak and her parent's greatest mistake, gasped and found tears filling her eyes as her baby brother fell limply to the floor, whimpering and clutching his broken arm with his right hand._

"_How could you?" she demanded furiously to Michael._

_The older angel's eyes were cold and apathetic. "He needs to learn not to get in the middle of things, Anna. He'll just have to learn the hard way."_

_She shook her head in disbelief, her voice heightening even further. "You sorry son of a bitch! He's your _son_! Don't you see how bad he's hurt?"_

"_He's an angel. He'll heal."_

_Castiel was on the floor; bruised, broken, alone; hurt, shocked, confused. His father had always screamed when he was angry, but never had he harmed one of his children. Yet he'd knocked Castiel into the wall using his powers without a second thought. Cas felt his arm slowly healing, the bones painfully shifting back into place, the fissures sealing back together._

_Michael never psychically abused Castiel again after that, but he never apologized, and Cas never forgot that fateful night. He had lived in fear of his father ever since, too scared to tell anyone, too ashamed at his own weakness to wake the soundly sleeping Gabriel and rehash the night's events. Raphael and Uriel had been out at a party, though they were so much like Michael that they probably wouldn't have cared anyways. So he remained silent and afraid. Anna never spoke of it, and neither did he._

* * *

><p>Gabriel woke at just before two in the morning and yawned, stretching his small body. He realized he was no longer on Castiel's bed and went in search of his brother, and not finding him in his room, he went up to the attic. Gabriel was the only one that knew of Cas' favorite retreat. When he pulled himself up into the opening leading to the attic, he saw his brother sitting against the wall, unshed tears filling his eyes.<p>

"What's wrong?" Gabriel asked, hurrying over.

Castiel looked up like he'd just noticed his little brother's presence. "Nothing. I thought you were asleep."

"I woke up." Gabriel curled up close to his brother and stroked strands of Castiel's hair from his eyes, worrying over his clearly upset sibling. "Now tell me what's wrong. You never get this upset."

"Really, I'm fine."

The words were spoken softly but firmly, and Gabriel knew he wasn't going to pry the truth from Cas, so he went for a happier topic. "How'd your date with Dean go?"

"It was…" Castiel trailed off, a small smile breaking through the melancholy expression. "So amazing. I love him, and I think he loves me too. I can feel it."

"Do you think Sam will ever love me?" Gabriel asked with the adorable innocence only found in children.

Cas smiled and wrapped one arm around his baby brother. "I think he already does, he just may not realize it yet."

Gabriel smiled. He himself didn't know what anything besides familial love felt like, so he asked his experienced older brother. "How will I know when I'm in love with Sam?"

"You'll just know." Satisfied with the answer, Gabriel ended up falling asleep again.

* * *

><p>Castiel was stiff as a board when he got a shower and got dressed the next morning, opening the front door and finding Dean waiting on him. His heart might as well have flown out of his chest when Dean gave him a chaste good morning kiss and took his hand as they walked. Last night Cas had been brought down by the painful memories of his father's darkest moments, but once he saw Dean, it all disappeared.<p>

"You didn't get much sleep last night, did you?" Dean laughed.

"What do you mean?"

"You have dark circles under your eyes."

"Oh. Well I didn't get home until late and then I…"

Dean gently nudged Castiel's arm. "Hey, relax, you don't have to explain yourself to me. I was just saying."

Castiel relaxed and they continued their walk to school, and what awaited them there made them both wish they'd stayed home. Dean hadn't thought to let go of Cas' hand, and once the school caught wind of the couple, cruel whispers of "fag" and "freak" greeted them. One cheerleader, Meg Masters, walked by and asked Cas if he wanted to borrow her skirt sometime.

"Yeah Misses Castiel, I have some high heels you can borrow!" added Ruby.

Lilith, another cheerleader, said, "I bet you would look great in my eyeliner, wanna try it? And Dean, you can have some of my lipstick!"

That was what pushed Cas over the edge. It had been hurtful and humiliating listening to them mock _him_, but then they brought Dean into it. Before he met his human he may have simply slunk down the hall with his head down, miserably taking their cruelty, but he was a different person now. He actually knew it was okay to stand up for himself, to make a stand when he knew something was wrong.

"Okay, look," he snarled, raising his voice so everyone in the hall could hear it. "Just because we're different doesn't mean we deserve to be treated like freaks. So maybe we're two guys and we're together, but you know what, that doesn't mean you get to push us around and call us names. But you want to fight dirty? Fine, bring it on. My father's the principle here as most of you know, and it would be very easy for him to make your lives miserable." They didn't have to know that him and his father hated each other, but for good measure, he added in a feral growl, "And if he doesn't make your lives miserable? _I will_. One more word to Dean and I and I swear you won't know what hit you."

The speech had them all backing off, trying to hide their fear but failing as they went their separate ways. Cas took a deep breath and tried to calm down, repressing the rush of adrenaline washing over him. First Michael, now this? It came as a shock to everyone including himself. After spending his whole life in this town, he'd not once spoken up for himself, and now no one knew how to handle this new Castiel. And honestly, neither did he.

**To Be Continued**


	7. A Puzzle's Missing Piece

***Um, this chapter is an epic fail. I am really, REALLY sorry…**

"_When I get this feeling, something's about to happen_

_Without any reason, it's supernatural_

_Some people call it crazy, some things there's no explaining."_

_~Supernatural by Raven Symone _

Gabriel and Sam had seen what had went down with Castiel and the cheerleaders, and the blond angel couldn't resist proudly saying, "Is my big brother badass or what?"

"That was _awesome_," Sam agreed.

Gabriel had never been more proud to say that Castiel was his brother. Needless to say the day passed by without anyone else mocking Dean and Cas, and everyone knew Gabriel was Castiel's little brother, so not a single word was said to him and Sam. He couldn't have been more thankful to have a big brother that had that kind of effect on people. Even Crowley, who didn't get impressed by _anyone_, had stared in shock at the display. Everyone's respect for Cas shot up a few notches after that fateful morning.

Sam and Gabriel were eating lunch together that afternoon, and when the angel looked out the window and the sun filtered in against his eyes, a distant memory came to mind.

_Gabriel, at the age of five, sat out on the lawn with his favorite uncle, Balthazar. Castiel sat on the older, blond angel's left while Gabriel sat on his right. The boys simply adored Balthazar, and they would all three sit outside for hours together, either listening to Balthazar tell the most riveting stories, or he would listen patiently while they rambled on about their problems or simply whatever topic happened to be on their minds. He was the gentle, attentive father they never had. A father they could look up to._

"_Uncle Balthy, why can't we tell people we're angels?" asked Gabriel, who was snuggled up against Balthazar's right side. Castiel, who was on Balthazar's other side perked up, curious about the answer._

_The older angel sighed. "There are people out there that hunt creatures. Evil, supernatural creatures. If those people found out about us, they would judge us just because we're not human. To a hunter, anything supernatural has to die. They wouldn't have the faintest clue how to kill us, but that doesn't mean they couldn't find a way. You can never, _ever_ trust a hunter."_

"_But how we know who's a hunter?" Castiel asked._

"_You can't. They know how blend in. But they don't stay in one place for long, and there's one family you should look out for. I was almost killed by a hunter that figured out how to harm an angel, he's one of the few that know of our existence. John Win-"_

"_Boys, come inside!" Michael yelled from the porch. "Balthazar, I think it's time for you to leave."_

_Castiel and Gabriel had no choice but to follow their father inside, hugging their uncle before they left. He held onto the boys like he was reluctant to let go. Michael hated Balthazar simply because the blond could see Michael for what he was: a pathetic, scum of the earth, worthless father. Balthazar knew Michael didn't deserve Castiel and Gabriel, who were two of the sweetest children he'd ever met. But he had no choice but to come over every weekend, only to leave them again._

Gabriel tore his eyes from the window. Something about the flashback had his skin crawling. He hadn't heard from his estranged uncle Balthazar for three years, the older man having disappeared without a trace, never again making contact Castiel or Gabriel. Now, that one glimpse of sunlight had thrown him into a vivid flashback of a conversation they'd once shared on the lawn, and for some reason the memory was giving him chills. _Hunter. They know how to blend in. John. _Why were these small bits of fact lodged into his brain, persistent that he pay them recognition?

"Gabriel, are you okay?" Sam asked.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine…" It was a lie. Something about the flashback had set him on edge, and for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what it was.

* * *

><p>Jo and Becky walked side by side under the bright Friday sunlight after school, the two completely different girls having one thing in common for once. Both of them worried about how Dean and Sam, who came from a long line of dedicated hunters, would react when told that Cas and Gabriel were angels. Becky thought it was the parents' reactions they had to worry about, but Jo was more worried about Sam and Dean. They hadn't yet been introduced to the hunting life, but it was engrained in their very blood to hate anything and everything supernatural.<p>

"But they're kids like us Jo, do you really think they'd try to hurt Castiel and Gabriel?" Becky asked.

Jo looked over at her. "If John finds out those two are angels? He'll go after them and their entire family. He loves Sam, Dean, and Mary, but he's a ruthless hunter. My mom Ellen's a hunter, but she can at least see when it's sick and wrong to kill a child. Crowley's one of my best friends and comes over all the time, but Ellen's grown to love him like a second son. John on the other hand…"

"You think he would kill the Novaks," Becky whispered, eyes wide.

Their long blond hair swung behind them, and their brown eyes locked as Jo intoned, "I know he would….If Michael didn't kill him first. All I know is that if they tell Sam and Dean and John finds out, then one way or another, it's going to be a bloodbath."

* * *

><p>The brothers spent the weekend with their boyfriends, Sam and Gabriel at the local sweets shop sampling candies while Dean and Cas strolled through the park together. Dean had a question probing at his mind, but he was nervous about asking it. He was worried it was too fast to be asking, and if he asked then he would probably have to fess up to his parents about his boyfriend, but ever since he'd seen the poster for a school dance yesterday he'd wanted to ask Cas to it as his date. It was a Valentine's Day dance taking place in two weeks.<p>

"There is something on your mind," Castiel deduced as they walked.

Dean had been staring off into space but now looked over into the blue eyes he'd come to love. "I have a question to ask you…" Here goes, well, everything.

"What is it, Dean?"

"In two weeks, there's this, um, dance…and I was wondering if maybe you would go with me…you'd probably have to meet my parents though…" Dean babbled.

Cas smiled, the small, shy smile that been melting Dean from day one. "I would love that."

"You would? I mean, yeah, great, sounds awesome," Dean grinned, trying and failing not to look and sound like an idiot. "Looks like I'm coming out of the closet to my mom and dad."

"If you'd rather not…" Cas started, suddenly looking insecure.

"I don't think I can really prevent telling them about the guy I'm…"

"The guy you're what?"

Dean took one look at those piercing blue eyes and realized he was too much of a coward to say it out loud. _The guy I'm in love with._ "Uh, nothing, never mind."

A short lull, and then: "Thank you."

"For what?"

Castiel looped his arm through Dean's as they walked. "This is the first time I've had someone to spend Valentine's Day with."

"Oh, well, you're welcome," Dean mumbled, blushing.

They stopped and turned to face each other, Cas leaning back against a tree and Dean standing in front of him, taking the angel's face in his hands and drawing him in for a kiss. He ran his hand through that dark, silken hair, the softness eliciting a pleasant tingling against his hand. Even as they kissed with an aching tenderness, they both felt an underlying sense of foreboding, that something awful was going to happen, even if it was only a subconscious knowledge. Dean knew falling for Cas was a mistake, but try as he might, he couldn't find a way to stop loving him.

* * *

><p>Sam wiped some cupcake icing off of Gabriel's nose and asked, "So, wanna meet my parents?"<p>

"Well duh," Gabriel said, taking another bite of his cupcake. They had bought a couple with the little bit of money they had and they now sat on a bench outside the bakery, happily munching away at them.

"You could come over for dinner tonight. I don't think they'd mind."

Gabriel couldn't hold back a happy squeak and smiled at Sam, thrilled that his boyfriend was taking this so seriously that he wanted Gabriel to meet his parents. The angel quickly started panicking internally about what he should wear, what he should say, and every other thing he would get advice from Castiel on later. Cas had never even been on a date before he met Dean, but with any luck he could at least offer Gabriel a little help.

"Dad's leaving for his hunting trip tomorrow morning, but I want him to meet you before he leaves," Sam said, wrapping an arm around Gabriel's shoulder.

Gabriel tensed at the seemingly innocent statement that for some reason seemed to hold malevolent undertones. "He's a…hunter?" The word felt wrong even as it passed his lips.

"Yeah, he never brings home anything to show us though. He just leaves for a hunt and sometimes he'll come back bloody and hurt, but he won't talk about it, he just lets Mom stitch him up and refuses to tell Dean and me what he was hunting," Sam sighed.

"That's daddies for ya," Gabriel joked. He was kidding, but on the inside, he was nauseated right down to the core. Because no matter how hard he tried to repress it, he couldn't fight the dread spreading through every cell in his bloodstream. For unexplainable reasons, he was terrified. "Hey Sammy…what's your dad's name?"

"John."

_They know how blend in. But they don't stay in one place for long, and there's one family you should look out for. I was almost killed by a hunter that figured out how to harm an angel, he's one of the few that know of our existence. John Win…_

The missing puzzle piece finally fell into place. John Win…chester. Gabriel just _knew_.

**To Be Continued**


	8. John's Confession

***You guys amazed me with how you responded to the last chapter, which I wasn't even happy with. I know that I reply and thank you, but I have to say it to all you amazing, epic readers: YOU'RE AWESOME.**

"_One night of the hunter_

_One day I will get revenge_

_One night to remember_

_One day it'll all just end."_

_~Night Of The Hunter by 30 Seconds To Mars_

"So Gabriel, tell us about yourself," Mary requested as they ate dinner.

"I'm blond, I'm awesome, I like candy, long walks on the beach-"

"_Gabriel_. That's not what she meant," Sam hissed.

John chuckled. "I think I might like this kid."

Dean snorted and wished he'd thought to ask Cas to come too. He would have to introduce his boyfriend to his parents soon, but he hadn't quite been ready. Now he was watching Sam and Gabriel be the picture of sickeningly adorability and his parents fawn over how precious Gabriel was. Looks like Sam shouldn't have worried over gaining their approval. Then again, Gabriel had his best innocent act on, not letting onto the sarcastic, innuendo making boy they saw at school every day.

"So Gabriel, what exactly are your intentions towards my son?" John asked.

"John!" Mary scolded.

Gabriel swallowed back his usual mind-in-the-gutter retort. "Well I'd like to take him to the school dance if that's okay with you…"

"Of course it is sweetie, that would be lovely!" Mary gushed.

"Sam, whaddya say?" Gabriel asked hopefully.

"That would be great."

Sam and Gabriel smiled at each other, their hands lacing under the table. Sam wasn't sure what he was feeling, this giddy, butterflies-in-the-stomach kind of feeling, but he was pretty sure it might just be love. Dean was more experienced obviously, but that was the only way Sam knew how to identify the way he felt whenever he saw Gabriel. He chose to ignore the fact that falling in love was probably a really bad idea.

Being around John had the young angel on edge, though. The man was nice enough and a saint compared to Michael, but after coming to the realization that this man had hunted and by this point possibly killed Balthazar, Gabriel couldn't relax in his presence. He would be stupid to do so knowing he was one of the very creatures John Winchester hunted.

After dinner, while Sam, Gabriel, and Mary sat on the sofa continuing their conversation about how things were going for the boys at school, Dean followed John into his office and closed the door behind him. The scruffy man looked up in surprise. Dean rarely came into his office, which was really more of a den than anything work related. John motioned for his son to sit down on one of the chairs across from the desk.

"What's on your mind, boy?"

"I just wanted to know how your job was going…"

John laughed. "Well there's one I wasn't expecting. What do you mean?"

"I mean are we going to have to move again?" Dean blurted out.

"I know you and Sam have made some pretty good friends here, but you know there's always a possibility we'll have to leave again. I'm sorry, Dean."

"You say that, but you won't even tell us what you do! It's always evade, evade, evade. You move us from place to place and take us away from our friends and for what, huh? For the job you won't tell us about? For you? Have you ever thought about _us_?" Dean ranted loudly, leaping up from his chair.

"You mind your tone with me-"

"Why the hell should I? I made the best mistake of my life in this town, but you could care less! You never even ask me how I am, never ask if I've met anyone, and even when you do I know you don't actually care! It's all about you!"

John looked hurt by his son's words but stayed calm. "It's understandable that you have a crush, son, but eventually…we have to go. We always do. You knew that, so why did you get so attached?"

"Oh, well I'm _so_ sorry I fell for someone I barely even know! I'm sorry we're _both_ going to get our hearts broken when you take me away! But you know what dad? I will _never_ be sorry for falling in love with Cas! It's the best thing that's ever happened to me, and you can take me away from here, and you can take Sam away here, and you can take every single thing I have, but you can _never_ take that from me."

John stared in shock as Dean stormed out of the room, the young boy's eyes wet with tears. Cas wasn't specifically a boy's name so that wasn't what he was shocked about, but he hadn't heard someone react that violently since someone had tried to take him away from Mary. He had a bad feeling that Sam would react similarly when he made the boy come to terms with the fact he would have to eventually leave Gabriel. John rubbed a hand over his face and made a decision that, with any luck, would keep Dean and Sam from hating him so much. He was reluctant because they were so young, but it was time to tell his sons about the family business. They deserved to know that even though Mary had been a rare exception, a hunter could never fall in love. It just wasn't safe.

* * *

><p>Castiel sat alone in his room, curled up on his bed in his softest pajamas. He loved his room: the sky blue walls; the framed photos of him, Gabriel, and even a few of them and Balthazar scattered around in mismatched frames; the cream colored duvet on his bed; the pale oak bookcase full of his favorite novels. All of it was pure and beautiful, just like the angel that inhabited the room. Now all it needed was a photo of him and Dean to make it complete.<p>

Balthazar had gotten Gabriel and Castiel mixed CDs of their favorite songs before he'd disappeared, and right now Castiel's was in his CD player, playing soothing notes of "Heartbeats" by Scala and Kolacny Brothers. Even though he was religious but not exactly devout, most of his music had a divine air to it. Kate Voegele's cover of "Hallelujah," Trading Yesterday's "World On Fire," the song playing right now, all of those gave him the best kind of chills. Something about them seemed powerful in the gentleness of their sound.

Even as the sweetness of his music filled his ears, it couldn't unruffle the metaphorical feathers of his nerves. For days now he'd had a bad feeling, the same one he got whenever a bad storm was looming on the horizon. It was only when Dean was around that he was too happy to worry about this feeling, but now that he was alone without his love or his brother to distract him, he couldn't ignore the intuitive feeling that something awful was going to happen to him. Earlier, as he'd relaxed in Dean's arms, something about the moment had seemed bittersweet. Castiel wished he could put his finger on what was wrong.

Try as he might to get to the bottom of why he was so unnerved, he failed miserably. Being awake was tormenting him simply because his conscious mind insisted on tyring to figure out what he was feeling, so he opted for sleep. He turned his lamp off and laid down, his stomach rolling with unprecedented fear, but he was sung to sleep by his stereo, the music interweaving with his dreams. _"To call for hands of above, to lean on, wouldn't be good enough, for me no..."_

* * *

><p>Sam and Dean took off out of their father's bedroom, and Gabriel, who had been sitting on the couch with Mary, followed Sam upstairs upon seeing his distress. Sam was in denial. The poor boy only wanted a normal life, to spend that normal life with Gabriel…and now his dreams were in shambles. His father had just told him that it was his and Dean's responsibility to take over the family business after John taught them the basics and they were old enough to go hunting on their own. Sam had yelled that he didn't want to hunt and that John couldn't make him, and now here he was, sitting in his room with Gabriel.<p>

"What did John say?" Gabriel asked to be polite, because with his angel hearing he already knew everything that had been said.

"He wants me to give it all up. My friends, my school…you. He wants me and Dean to hit the road together when we're old enough and hunt stuff. Evil stuff. Creatures and monsters...but I don't want to, Gabriel! And he can't make me!" Sam declared defiantly.

Gabriel took Sam's hand and squeezed it. "Of course he can't. It's your life, and if he has a problem with that he can stick it where the sun don't shine."

Of course Sam had no idea that Gabriel didn't want him hunting because not only did that mean he would have to live without Sam, which made him shudder to even think about, but if Sam became a hunter then Gabriel could never tell him what he was, and it wasn't fair to keep that kind of secret. If Sam didn't become a hunter then maybe he could keep an open mind when Gabriel finally told him he was an angel.

"Gabriel," Sam started, seeming reassured by his boyfriend's support, "I need to tell you something."

"What is it Sammy?" Gabriel asked. He was the only other one besides Dean allowed to call him Sammy.

Sam's hand tightened around Gabriel's, both relieved and surprised that his boyfriend wasn't freaking out about the fact monsters were real. "It's more than just wanting to be normal and go to college…I have a bigger reason for not wanting to be a hunter. Hunting takes you all over the world, and I couldn't stay in one place for long. I couldn't stay _here_. With you. But I can't do that, Gabriel. I can't lose you. I guess what I'm trying to say is…I'm in love with you."

Gabriel was a little choked up from the speech but managed to stroke the side of Sam's face with his free hand and reply with, "I'm pretty sure I was in love with you from the first time we met in biology class. I don't know what I'd do without you. Please, just promise you won't leave me."

"I promise."

Gabriel leaned forward and kissed him, all the while praying to whatever higher power might be listening that Sam could hold up his promise.

* * *

><p>Dean sat at his desk trembling. Monsters…evil…supernaturals…and he had to hunt all of it. Sam had shook his head in denial and taken off for his bedroom, his worried boyfriend hot on his heels. Now Dean was sitting alone, having asked his father to leave him by himself after John dumped all of this on him. He pulled his shoes and jacket on before going downstairs, calling over his shoulder that he was going out for some air as he threw open the front door.<p>

He cut across the lawn with every intentions of going to see his Castiel. Now he knew what his father meant, why they couldn't stay, but he still didn't care. He would fight tooth and nail to stay with his boyfriend, and right now he wanted the comfort always offered to him by Cas' mere presence. Girly maybe, but he didn't know who else to turn to. Sam was just as shaken as he was, but lucky for Sammy, his confidant was already there to help him through it. Dean wasn't so fortunate.

The young human, now destined to be a hunter, knocked urgently on the Novak home's door. An redheaded teenage girl opened it, Anna he assumed. She looked at the distraught, shaky boy with contempt. He quickly explained that he was there to see Castiel.

"He's in his room."

He slid past her and went upstairs, thankful that Michael was asleep in the armchair he'd passed on his way up. No light came out from under any of the doors on the second floor, but soft music came from one of them. He pushed the door open and stuck his head in, the moonlight streaming through the window illuminating his sleeping boyfriend. Castiel's breathing was deep and even.

Dean briefly debated on leaving and coming back in the morning, but he wanted to tell Cas about what he'd just learned before he could talk himself out of it. So he slipped in and closed the door behind him. He walked over and sat on the edge of his boyfriend's bed, gently laying a hand on the side of Castiel's face. Part of him wanted to just sit there and watch his love sleep all night.

"Love you Dean…" Castiel whispered into the darkness.

Dean stiffened and would have replied had he not realized the blue eyed boy was still asleep. He bit his lip and gently stroked Cas' hair as he slept. Had he heard that right? Could it be possible that after fretting about it for so long, that Cas loved him too? It seemed almost too good to be true, but it was something to hold on to, something to ground him and keep him from going insane with the overwhelming knowledge his father had just burdened him with.

"Dean?" murmured a groggy voice.

"Hey," Dean whispered back, leaning down and kissing Castiel's cheek. "I'm sorry for coming so late, but I need to talk to you…" All of his stress and fear suddenly came rushing back, even the tender words murmured by his sleeping boyfriend not enough to keep him calm.

Castiel sat up and slid over, making room for his human. "Are you okay?"

"I'm not sure," Dean confessed. "I know I should have waited 'til tomorrow, I just really needed to see you-"

Cas silenced him with a comforting kiss. "It's alright. Tell me what's wrong," he requested, gently rubbing the tension from the back of Dean's neck with strong, lithe fingers.

Dean couldn't help but think about how Mary would always message the tenseness out of John when he was upset, and he couldn't resist smiling at the thought of, against all odds, marrying Cas one day. But that was the least of his concerns right now. If there was real evil out there, Castiel needed to know about it so Dean could protect him from it. Without even realizing it, Dean had embraced the life of a hunter, for no other reason than his desire to keep the love of his life safe. He would go into this life for Cas. Only for Cas. He repeated that to himself like a mantra.

"My dad told Sammy and me some stuff tonight…stuff I don't even think I want to know. But I have to, because I need to protect you, Cas. I can't let anything happen to you…" he rambled, unable to organize his thoughts in order to form a coherent sentence.

Cas wrapped his arms around Dean and pulled the young hunter's head against his shoulder, rubbing Dean's back and whispering reassurances. "Calm down, just walk me through what happened."

Dean nodded against Castiel's neck. "My father finally told my brother and me about what he does. He hunts monsters. Vampires, werewolves, spirits, all those other things I thought were out of storybooks. They're not human. If it's not human, it has to die. It's his job to kill them…and now it's mine. And I'm scared, Cas."

The human couldn't see the tears filling Castiel's eyes as he brokenly whispered "It's going to be okay…" over and over again. Dean trembled in his boyfriend's arms, unaware that the angel's world was crashing down around him. If only Dean realized just how wrong he was to swear that he would protect him. The boys held each other, both shaken and terrified for their own reasons. Castiel had always wondered if it would be a hunter that ended up killing him one day, but not once had he thought that hunter might be Dean.

**To Be Continued**


	9. An Early Morning's Kiss

***Sorry it took so long guys! Today was hectic beyond belief. *headdesk***

"_But you think that I can't see_

_What kind of man that you are_

_If you're a man at all."_

_~Decode by Paramore_

Dean woke feeling comfortable, warm, and safe. He was nestled under a mound of blankets, and when he opened his eyes, he saw sky blue walls surrounding him. A familiar weight rested against his side. Last night Castiel had asked Dean if he wanted to stay, and after they promised to stay on their sides of the bed, they fell asleep next to each other. At some point during the night, Cas had snuggled up into Dean's arms. Surprisingly, in spite of how embarrassingly intimate it was and how the young hunter usually hated having his personal space invaded, Dean found that he didn't really mind.

Castiel's eyes finally opened. He saw his position and went to leap up, but Dean gently pulled him back down. Dean was content having Cas in his arms, he found the warmth of his boyfriend's body against his own comforting. He took solace in knowing that wherever hunting took him, whatever path is thrust him onto, Castiel would be with him every step of the way.

"Hey Cas…?"

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to say, um, thanks. For sticking with me."

"Of course Dean. I wouldn't leave you if my very life depended on it." Dean didn't know just how accurate that promise was, given that Cas' survival might actually depend on leaving Dean. But he never would.

Dean was thrown a little off guard by the vulnerability in Castiel's voice. "Well yeah, I wouldn't, uh, leave you either."

Cas started pressing little closed mouth kisses to the side of Dean's face, then down his neck, then back up again. They were always so comfortable around each other, but the tender affection Castiel was showing him was even more loving than what he usually exposed to Dean. The human realized that right now, all of Castiel's gaurds were down. He was open, relaxed, and perfectly happy to kiss and cuddle Dean. Kind of chick flicky, but Dean could get used to it.

"I guess I should get home," Dean sighed.

He sat up and leaned down, kissing Cas goodbye. It lasted a little longer than intended. At first it was simply curl his fingers around the back of Dean's neck and lean closer into the kiss. The kiss was more heated than their prior ones, and Dean slid his tongue inside Castiel's mouth, massaging the angel's with his own. Cas moaned into the kiss and buried his fingers in Dean's short hair. Despite Dean's reputation as a womanizer, this was the first experience he'd had that could even be considered somewhat sexual. They were so young, yet there was so much passion between them.

He didn't know how to describe the way the kiss was making him feel. It was like the rush of love he always felt when he saw Cas, mixed with something that felt like electricity shocking his skin. Crowley had once commented that the first time he kissed someone, _really_ kissed someone, that it had felt like fire and ice, like gasoline and a match. Dean hadn't understood what he was talking about. Now he fully understood why his friend had been at such of a loss for words. This was…_incredible_.

"Ahh, Dean, what are we doing…" Cas breathed.

"I don't know…" Dean whispered, licking his way into the angel's mouth again.

When they finally parted, their faces were deeply flushed and their breathing was labored. Dean backed up, not quite sure what had just happened. The warmth of his love for Cas was still present as always , but now there was something else, an insistent heat flooding his body. Dean muttered something about having to go and chastely kissed the side of Castiel's head in a silent communication that they could work on this later and that things didn't need to be awkward. Sometimes the two of them didn't need words to communicate with.

The angel watched Dean leave, fervently wishing he would stay. But sadly Dean had to go. He walked down the street back to his house, poking his head in the front door and glancing at the wall clock above the living room fireplace, seeing that it was a little before seven in the morning. His face was still flushed from his not so innocent encounter with Castiel. _What the hell just happened? _he thought to himself. It hadn't been full out lust, but it had been the beginnings of it for sure. The closest thing to lust that a thirteen year old boy could feel without it being sinful given that they were so young. That had definitely been some seriously heavy stuff.

"Mom? Dad? Sammy?" he called out.

John came in with a stormy expression. "Where the hell did you go? I called the Novak house and Castiel's older sister said you weren't there."

"Umm, she was lying…"

"You spent the night with Castiel?" Mary demanded, coming in with her hands on her hips.

"Yes, well no, not like that! I mean we…well never mind, but we didn't, no I didn't spend the night, like we never, uh-"

Sam's hysterical laughter cut Dean off. He was laughing so hard he was clutching his ribs, watching an even deeper blush make its way across Dean's face as his older brother stuttered his way through an explanation. He had been able to tell from the flustered expression when Dean walked in that something had happened between him and Cas. Sam smirked and watched amusedly before going back upstairs. Gabriel had slipped out last night to go home. Sam still had warm little butterflies flitting about his stomach from hearing Gabriel tell him that he loved him.

When Dean walked into his room, Sam was waiting, his eyes wide and expectant as he asked, "What happened?"

"Well, Mom and Dad didn't ground me."

"That's not what I mean. You came home looking all…you know…"

Dean sat down next to his little brother. "Are you asking for details on when I made out with Castiel in his bedroom?"

Sam's jaw did everything short of hit the floor. "You _what_? In his _where_?"

"Don't tell Mom and Dad, okay? They'll kill me," Dean whispered.

Sam leaned forwards, lowering his voice to a whisper as well. "How was it?"

"Dude, I just made out with a guy _alone_ in his bedroom. How do you think it was?" Dean replied, scoffing.

"Was there tongue?"

"Sam!"

"Were you actually on the bed?"

"Okay, that's it, you've been around Gabriel for too long!"

"Come on, it's me Dean! You can tell me," Sam pleaded.

Dean sighed in defeat, his voice remaining low. "Well we kinda ended up…um…cuddling last night, and when I kissed him bye as I was leaving…things got outta hand. He was laying on the bed and I was leaning over him. But Sammy, it was amazing. I'm talking hands in each other's hair, moaning, tongue…the whole nine yards."

"Whoa. But Dad said we couldn't…"

"Dad could trade his hair in for a bird's nest and sprout lilies out of his ass for all I care. I'm going to protect Castiel, even if it kills me."

Sam nodded and looked at his feet shamefully. "Does it make me a bad boyfriend not to take up hunting so I can protect Gabriel?"

"No, Sam. It just means you want to be normal. There's nothing wrong with that."

"But how can you hunt and stay with Cas at the same time? Dad said we can't stay in one town for long," Sam said worriedly.

"I'll do what Dad did with Mom. I'll bring Cas with me wherever I go, I know he'll come with me."

Sam's expression suddenly turned guarded. "But what about me? What, when you turn eighteen you're just going to take Castiel and leave?"

"Sammy, it's not like that-"

"Yeah? Well it sure looks that way."

Sam stormed out of the room and left his older brother staring after him, Sam's emotions running too high to let him contemplate whether or not he'd made the right call taking his frustrations out on Dean. His nerves were still frayed from what had father had pushed on him, and just when he thought the only person that understood him completely (Gabriel of course) was too busy to listen to another one of his rants, Mary came upstairs holding the phone saying that Gabriel had called for Sam.

Sam nodded his thanks, took the phone, and darted into his room, closing the door behind him. After hearing what Gabriel had to say, he replied with, "Someplace private? Um, okay, sure, I can meet you in the woods behind my house tonight at around eight. What's the big deal…" But the phone had went dead right after he told Gabriel where and when to meet him. Weird.

* * *

><p>Castiel sat on his comforter, his face still a little bit red. He could still feel Dean's tongue inside of his mouth, could still recall the heat that had flushed throughout his body whenever their skin came into contact. It was completely foreign. For awhile after Dean had left he'd been uncomfortable without really knowing why, but the feeling faded after awhile. But that discomfort returned whenever he thought about their kiss.<p>

He got up and changed out of his pajamas, into his usual attire. Gabriel had been antsy when he'd stuck his head in to let Castiel know that he'd be leaving at about seven thirty tonight, but the older brother had no idea why his younger sibling was so jittery. He would have investigated but Gabriel disappeared to his room with the air of someone not wanting to make conversation. So Cas let him be.

* * *

><p>Gabriel, as promised, met Sam in the clearing that was far behind his house on the vast stretch of property. The angel was already sitting on the old bench that had been there for God only knows how long when Sam arrived, right on time. He'd heard the urgency in Gabriel's voice when he'd called and hurriedly asked if everything was okay.<p>

"Yeah, I'm fine, but Sam there's something I have to tell you. Something I probably should have told you a long time ago," Gabriel murmured.

Sam put a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder. "What is it?"

"I can show you better than I can tell you," Gabriel said, standing up and kissing the top of Sam's hand before sliding out from under it.

Sam could only watch in confusion and soon wonder as Gabriel pulled off his jacket, revealing a simple shirt with two vertical slits in the back. Sam opened his mouth to ask why they were there, but the most breathtaking sight he'd every laid eyes upon started to unfold in front of him. Gabriel's skin started to glow, a soft gold that faded into a bright white. Sam would have covered his eyes, but the sight of two broad, feathery appendages stretching out from the slits had him captivated. Gabriel took a long, deep breath, the relief of finally spreading his wings after so long more of a relief than any human could understand.

Sam shook his head in denial, shocked and amazed at the same time. "This has gotta be a joke…no human could do that…"

"You're right. No human could. I'm not human, Sam…I'm an angel."

**To Be Continued**


	10. A Hunter's True Colors

**Author's Note:**

**Warning: more heated Destiel kissing ahead!**

**Anyways, this chapter is shorter than usual, I'm sorry. I will make up for it, promise! I haven't said this enough, so THANK YOU to every single amazing reviewer! I am still amazed at the support you all have given me and really can't tell you how grateful I am :D You're awesome beyond belief!**

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><p>"<em>They say be afraid<em>

_You're not like the others, futuristic lover_

_Different DNA, they don't understand you."_

_~E.T. by Katy Perry_

Sam clapped his hand over his mouth, shell shocked. Gabriel took a step towards him, Sam took an instinctive step back. He felt bad when he saw Gabriel wrap himself protectively in his wings with a hurt expression, but he had no idea what to say. It hadn't been too long ago that his father was stressing the dangers of supernaturals, and now here stood one? It was cruelly ironic.

"Sam, it's still me. I'm still Gabriel," the angel said softly, peering out from behind his feathers.

"You have _wings_!" Sam screeched. Gabriel was glad they were in the middle of nowhere and no one could hear Sam.

This was Gabriel's greatest fear. Losing Sam because of what he was. He edged a little closer and saw fear in Sam's eyes, but when he searched for disgust, he couldn't be more relieved that he found none. Sam was simply afraid. He didn't look like he wanted to hunt or kill Gabriel, but then again, Sam had rejected the hunting life anyways. It was Dean and John they had to worry about. Sam took deep breaths, making himself calm down.

It could have been minutes, but it felt like hours before Sam asked, "Can I…touch them?"

Gabriel walked over, Sam not stepping back this time. "Just the edges. Don't get too close to the base." He'd learned from a young age never to let someone touch the area of the wings closest to the spine, they were incredibly sensitive there.

Sam took a deep breath and placed a hand on the edge Gabriel's left wing, the long, white flight feathers soft against his hand. He gently stroked them, slipping a finger underneath one to feel the velvety, down that separated the feathers from the rest of the wing. Gabriel silently allowed Sam to stroke and probe and investigate, anything to keep the human from being run off.

"You're an angel…what does that mean?" Sam whispered.

Gabriel sighed and turned to face his human when Sam's hand dropped from his wing. "I come from an entire family of angels. From the very day we were old enough to understand, our father engrained it in us that under no circumstances could we tell anyone what we were. But I was too far gone for you by the time I considered how dangerous it was to be in love with you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I was afraid…"

"Afraid of what?"

"Losing you," Gabriel admitted meekly. "It wasn't about Michael or hunters or anything more than that. I was terrified I would scare you off."

"If you wanna get rid of me you'll have to try a little harder than that."

Gabriel's feathers ruffled excitedly. "You're not mad?"

Sam shrugged. "Okay, so you have feathers. Like you said, you're still you. It doesn't change anything. But next time, don't worry about scaring me, okay? Just tell me the truth."

Gabriel hurled himself into Sam's arms with a relieved grin, his wings wrapping around them both. His angelic powers were developing and they allowed him to read Sam's aura, which hummed with love and contentment. He hadn't been lying when he said nothing had changed between them. Sam wanted nothing to do with hunting, and somewhat as an act to defy his father, was willing to give just about any supernatural a chance.

"Tell me more about angels," Sam requested as they parted from their embrace.

Gabriel manifested a candy bar out of thin air, manifesting being one of the angel talents he'd taught himself over the past few days. "Fine, but on one condition. You can't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you. Not your father, not even Dean. They're hunters. They'll fly off the deep end if they find out. Castiel might be able to tell Dean and not have his boyfriend trying to kill him, but even then I'm not sure if Dean would listen. He's another John Winchester in the making."

Sam noticed the bitterness that accompanied his father's name. "You don't like my dad much, do you?"

"Well, no, I don't generally like people that I'm pretty sure killed my uncle."

"What?" Sam couldn't have heard that right. No way.

"My uncle Balthazar. He was the first one to warn me about hunters…and I think your father killed him."

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><p>Dean had slipped out to go see Cas, and Mary come upstairs looking for him when she heard the commotion caused by him tumbling out the window and clumsily climbing down the wall. She found a note on the bed saying <em>"Just realized my history notebook got swapped with Crowley's, gonna go get it and be right back!" <em>She raised an eyebrow. He could care less about notebooks or anything involving school for that matter.

She took his phone and scrolled through his contacts, hitting the green button when she found Crowley. _Odds are he snuck out to see Castiel,_ she thought to herself. There was surely something going on there, Dean blushed every time someone even _mentioned_ his blue eyed best friend.

Crowley answered the phone, finally. There was definitely no mistaking that British accent. "Hello?"

"Crowley, hi, this is Mary Winchester, Dean's mother."

"I don't know what he did, but I had nothing to do with it, I swear."

She rolled her eyes. No wonder those two got along so well. "Actually I was just wondering if you had his history notebook."

"I barely know where my own is, let alone Dean's. Though I do think that idiot forgot to give my phone back when he was programming his number into it Friday," he said exasperatedly. "It's my home phone number that's in his contacts. Mind if I come get mine?"

"Sure, do you know where we live?"

"Affirmative, darling. I live two streets over. I'll be there in fifteen minutes." The line went dead.

She laughed and closed the cell phone, laying it back on Dean's hunter green comforter. She liked Crowley; he was a little too much like Dean, but he was always polite and charming in his own way. He seemed like a sweet kid under his rowdy bad boy exterior. Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, he was knocking on the door.

"Come on in Crowley," she said, opening the door and stepping back.

He walked in…and didn't get past the rug in front of the door. Mary had already started upstairs assuming he was following, but he kept trying to step forward off the rug, unable to get any further than its edge. She looked over her shoulder and asked what was wrong.

"I can't move. Did you put superglue on your rug or something?" he asked irritably.

John came in wielding a rifle chock full of rock salt. "Not another word, demon. That's a Devil's Trap, you black eyed bastard."

Crowley heard Mary yelling something at John, but before he could register what it was, he collapsed onto the ground unconscious.

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><p>Castiel smiled when Dean arrived outside his window. He opened it and pulled his human inside, kissing him chastely in greeting. "Hello, Dean."<p>

"Hey Cas."

"Would you like to sit down?"

Dean grinned and plopped down on Cas' bed, leaning his head back against the wall. Castiel sat next to him and asked, "So…should we talk about what happened earlier?"

"Well I think we had a make-out session," Dean replied wryly.

"Obviously," Castiel sighed. "But things won't be weird…?"

Dean leaned over and slid his hand behind Cas' neck, pulling him in for a kiss. "Nope. Especially not if you want to try it again."

Castiel noted the mischievous glint in his boyfriend's eyes. He pushed forwards against Dean's mouth, wrapping his arms around the human's neck. Their earlier kiss had been like nothing he'd ever experienced, and he was all for trying again. Now that they weren't so nervous about this new heat that came every time they touched, they could do a little practicing.

Dean ran his tongue along Cas' lower lip, the angel opening his mouth without hesitation. Castiel growled low in his throat and ran his fingers through Dean's too short hair. The human experimentally pressed his tongue to the roof of his boyfriend's mouth, and Castiel went _crazy_. He moaned a little too loudly and pulled himself closer to Dean, wriggling in the hunter's arms.

Knowing he'd hit a sweet spot, Dean rubbed his tongue against the top of Cas' mouth, loving the whimpers and moans it elicited. He pulled Castiel into his lap, the angel straddling him. It was Dean's turn to moan helplessly when Cas rubbed the underside of Dean's tongue with his own. Hey, they were getting good at this. Cas was still wearing his ever present slacks and dress shirt, and Dean ran his hand down the angel's spine, digging in with his nails a little.

Castiel was panting by the time Dean started sucking a hickey onto his neck. "Dean," he moaned in ecstasy, the word breaking into two syllables. He moved somewhat clumsily against Dean, trying to gain some friction. They were such a clichéd image of two teenage lovers experimenting with their first bouts of sexual pleasure, their movements desperate and unpracticed.

Both of them were gasping for breath when they finally collapsed side by side on the bed. Castiel had a bruise forming on his neck, and both of them had no idea what the blood rushing down their bodies meant. Dean took Castiel's hand and drew it to his mouth, kissing it softly. They smiled at each other lazily. Young lust had subsided and left a warm, gentle rush of love in its wake.

Their moment of intimacy was interrupted by Raphael sticking his head and throwing the phone at Dean, saying that his mother was on it before leaving, shutting the door behind him. He hadn't spoken to Castiel in God only knows how long and apparently had no intentions of doing so any time soon.

"Mom I can explain…" Dean started.

She cut him off, her voice betraying that she'd been crying. "Dean, Crowley's in the hospital. They don't know if he's going to make it."

**To Be Continued**


	11. Crowley's Angel

"_And I will be strong_

_Even if it all goes wrong_

_When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe_

_Someone's watching over me."_

_~Someone's Watching Over Me by Hilary Duff_

Mary drove Dean and Cas to the hospital, and the young hunter threw a royal fit when the doctor said he couldn't see Crowley. _Family only my ass_, Dean thought angrily. According to Mary, Crowley's father Azazel had left Crowley home alone and couldn't be bothered to answer the phone. Crowley's mother had been dead for a long time, so the blame fell solely on Azazel.. The way he neglected his son only made Dean all the more furious.

Thankfully the hospital waiting room was empty save for the secretary that left shortly after telling Dean he couldn't see Crowley. He paced the floors, Cas trying his best to comfort Dean but the stressed, short tempered human swatted him away. Mary walked over and grabbed Dean's arm, forcing him to be still so she could explain what had happened.

"Dean, Crowley's a demon," she said quietly, making sure everyone else was out of earshot.

He stopped in his tracks. "What?"

"There's a Devil's Trap in front of the door. He got stuck in it and John shot him."

"Crowley is _thirteen years old_!" Dean yelled. "And Dad shot him? What the hell! And what do the doctors think happened?"

"Crowley was fading in and out of consciousness when they brought him in apparently, and he said he couldn't remember what happened. I don't know what he'll say once he's awake." _If_ he wakes up. It wasn't spoken, but it didn't need to be.

"But I know Crowley, he's not evil," Dean growled.

Mary rested a hand on his arm. "I know. John sees anything supernatural as something that has to die. He didn't even think about the fact Crowley's only a boy."

"Yeah well if shooting innocent people is part of the job description, he can take hunting and shove it up his ass," Dean said coldly, shrugging her hand off and resuming his pacing. "Where's Sam?"

"I couldn't get in touch with him, he left his phone in his room. I think he's somewhere with Gabriel, and I couldn't get him to answer the phone either."

"And Dad?"

"Home. I told him it wouldn't be a good idea to come."

Dean nodded, his shoulders tense as he paced a hole in the floor. Not caring that people were there and watching, Cas walked over and put his arms around Dean, not letting go even when Dean growled at him to do just that. Castiel knew that Dean shut people out when he was upset and simply held the hunter close to him, who eventually relaxed a little and accepted the comfort. Cas pressed a gentle kiss to the side of Dean's face as they pulled away. Mary pretended she hadn't seen the display for Dean's sake. Jo and Chuck rushed in not too long after, the former's expression one of murderous rage.

"Where's the son of a bitch that hurt Crowley?" she snarled.

Mary walked over and bit her lip. "It was John."

"Well where is he? I'll hack his fucking balls off!"

Chuck winced at Jo's yelling, but Dean piped up with, "Yeah, and I'll help."

No one knew where the conversation might have gone, because suddenly the doors were thrown open (which was saying something since they were automatic) and in stormed a boy no older than Crowley, small in stature but emanating a strong presence that had everyone in the room fixated on the newcomer. Castiel felt the surprisingly strong grace coming from the boy and quickly noted that he was an angel, and a powerful one at that.

"Who is that?" Jo questioned, too dumbfounded to remember her murder mission.

Dean shook his head. "No idea…"

The unnamed angel strode purposefully to the doors that led towards Crowley's room, and when a doctor tried to stop him, he simply placed two fingers on the man's forehead and watched him collapse. Everyone was watching in utter shock, especially those in the room who weren't familiar with angels. Castiel couldn't hold back admiration at the sight of this stranger.

"Who are you?" he asked before the angel could disappear.

The boys' former ferocity towards any and all who dared stand in his way receded, his eyes softening as he met those of one of his own kind. "My name is Aziraphale."

The name triggered a fragment of a memory in Dean's mind.

_Crowley and Dean walked down the hall to history class, and the former looked like Hell. Dean wondered if he should pry. Crowley looked terrible, there were dark circles ringing is eyes and his hair was uncharacteristically disheveled. He hadn't exactly been rude to Dean, but his replies were slightly clipped and distant._

"_What's wrong with you, man?" Dean finally asked._

"_Nothing."_

_Dean knew a liar when he saw one. "Come on, you can tell me."_

"_You'll laugh at me."_

"_Try me."_

_Crowley sighed, looking thoroughly embarrassed and hurt at the same time. "You remember how I told you about the first person I ever kissed? Really kissed?"_

"_Yeah…"_

"_He had to leave this morning."_

_Dean felt a pang of sympathy. "I'm sorry. Wanna talk about it?"_

_Crowley was clearly off in his own world as a melancholy smile crossed his face. "He was so beautiful. Everyone said we would never work, that we were too different. But I loved him…and he loved me. That's what he told me before he left. That he loved me. That's the last thing he said to me."_

"_What's his name?" Dean asked, feeling really sorry for Crowley, who looked about as brokenhearted as they came._

"_Ah, such a lovely name he had. Aziraphale. He once told me that wherever I was, he'd be watching over me. I think he always knew he'd have to leave, but I guess part of me wished that naïve, precious idiot would find a way to stay. But I don't care how far away he is, he'll always be my angel. My Zira."_

Dean looked over at Castiel, realizing he felt the exact same way about the blue eyed boy that had walked into his life and turned everything he thought was fact upside down. He loved that trench coat wearing fool, and deep down he knew one day there might come a time when he would have to leave Castiel, but Dean knew that he'd love Cas until the day he died. His Cas. _My Zira. _Now that he knew where the demon was coming from, he felt even worse for Crowley. But Aziraphale was here, threatening and protective, the very guardian angel he'd promised to be. Dean had no idea how he'd knocked that doctor out, though.

As quickly as he'd stopped to introduce himself, Aziraphale was gone, striding down the hall, knocking out whatever doctor or nurse may happen to cross him, and entering Crowley's room. Castiel realized why the blond angel was so strong. An angel can be weak as a kitten, but when those they love are in danger, they completely transform. They're stronger, they're ruthless, and they'll stop at nothing to protect their mate. Castiel had just witnessed that very transformation.

"How did he do that?" Dean demanded, looking down at the unconscious doctor in front of the doors.

Castiel looked away and chose not to reply. They all assumed positions in the uncomfortable plastic chairs in the waiting room, waiting for some kind of news on their friend. At one point, Dean explained who Aziraphale was, that he'd been Crowley's first love. In another silent lull, Mary glanced at Castiel's neck, seeing a bruise right above the collar of his shirt. She absently wondered who could have possibly given the boy a hickey, but it only merited brief curiosity in her mind for she was too worried about Crowley and how bad off Dean would be if the young demon didn't survive.

It was awhile before Aziraphale arrived in the room again, trembling slightly and looking like he'd been crying. The fierce, frightening angel was now just an afraid boy, his blue eyes full of pain and his light blond curls in a state of disarray. Castiel didn't know the angel but still approached him and laid a hand on Aziraphale's arm, silently conveying his sympathy. He knew that once an angel had fallen in love, there was nothing worse than feeling powerless when they were hurt.

"I am sorry about Crowley."

Guarded sky blue eyes turned to him. "Who are you?" he asked in a quiet English lilt.

"Castiel. Dean, my human, knows Crowley. They are friends," Cas explained.

"The bullet wounds are killing him. There are only a select few people in the world that know what rock salt does to a demon. A hunter did this to Crowley," Aziraphale murmured dejectedly. "My Crowley is in a coma, and for what? Some self righteous, revenge driven sociopath? Crowley isn't like other demons, he'd never hurt anyone!" His voice had been slowly raising throughout the sentences and the last one was yelled in a desperate cry that broke slightly around the lump in his throat. "I can't even heal him, Castiel! I'm not strong enough…the wounds are too severe anyways. The damage is done."

Castile's heart was breaking for Aziraphale. "I wish there was something I could do to help."

"Thank you for that. But there isn't. There's not anything _anyone_ can do. Not even me."

Those blue eyes, several shades lighter than Castiel's, became distant and unfocused, so the brunette angel took that as his cue to give Aziraphale some space. The blond sat down against the wall and withdrew a picture, and judging from the tears that welled up in his eyes, it was of him and Crowley. Jo, Chuck, Mary, Dean, Castiel and Aziraphale were all similarly helpless. Crowley was in a coma, dying, and there wasn't a damn thing they could do about it.

As if the night couldn't get any worse, none other than John Winchester himself walked in, flanked by a very worried Sam and Gabriel. Mary gave him a look that could allow people to make snow angels in Hell, and Castiel had to restrain Dean when he tried to attack his father. Castiel was just as angry as Dean about what had happened, but he didn't want his human to end up harmed.

"You have some nerve showing up here," Jo hissed, getting to her feet.

John looked away from her and spoke to the group as a whole. "Sam and Gabriel finally got home. They found out what happened and wanted to come too."

Mary walked over and pulled Sam under one arm and Gabriel under the other, just like a mother bird would take her young under her wings. "Well they're here. Leave. _Now_."

"Is this the hunter that put Crowley in a coma?"

Everyone turned to see Aziraphale getting to his feet with a deadly calm. His blue eyes held no apparent emotion, but he couldn't mask his grace, which Castiel and Gabriel both detected the fury in. There was a strong possibility that, unless he was restrained, Aziraphale was going to kill John right here and now.

"Crowley wouldn't want you doing this," Chuck said, speaking for the first time since he'd arrived.

That seemed to hit just the right spot in Aziraphale. He paused and turned to face the nerdy human, his eyes showing his conflict. John didn't look remotely intimidated by the blond, thirteen year old boy, but he was wrong not to be. In this state of being so protective over Crowley, Aziraphale could probably smite John where he stood.

Aziraphale walked over to John and got up on his toes, leaning close to the hunter's ear and speaking in a harsh whisper. "I'm not going to kill you, John Winchester. The small human is correct. Crowley would not want your blood on my hands. But if I ever catch word of you harming an innocent child again, so help me I will rip you _limb_ from _limb_. I could snap my fingers and reduce you to a pile of smoldering ash, but if I ever hear you've done this again, I will be sure you die _slowly_. You can mess with werewolves, and you can mess with vampires, and you can mess with demons, but you _don't _want to mess with angels. Are we quite clear?"

He pulled away to take in John's face, which looked perfectly composed save for the fact it was a couple shades paler than it had been. Gabriel and Castiel both had the heightened hearing of angels and knew what had been said, and they stood behind Aziraphale in a silent warning that not only would they be ripped limb from limb, but that they would help. What John didn't know was that Gabriel and Castiel were also angels, making the threat that much more imminent.

The staring match between human and angel was interrupted by one of the few nurses not knocked out by Aziraphale coming out and asking, "Who here is related to Crowley?"

"I'm an adopted brother," Aziraphale lied.

Her next words froze everyone in whatever activities they happened to be engaging in. "I am very sorry...we can't get a pulse. Crowley's heart has stopped beating."

**To Be Continued**


	12. The Archangel's Arrangement

***There will be more fluff after this chapter, promise!**

"_There's a game that I play_

_There are rules I had to break_

_There's mistakes that I made_

_But I made them my way."_

_~This Night by Black Lab_

Before she could say another word, Aziraphale was taking off down the hall and skittering to a stop just outside Crowley's room. The doctors were urgently trying to shock him back into breathing, pressing the paddles to his sides and his body arching upwards as the electricity traveled through him. But that was the paddles doing all the work. His heart had stopped beating. He was gone.

Careless of dignity, self respect, or any of those other things that had suddenly become foreign concepts, Aziraphale watched with silent tears streaming down his face. This couldn't be happening. Crowley couldn't be _dead_. He watched, hoping without reason that they could bring him back. But the line on the heart monitor was flat and unmoving.

"Call it," said the doctor leading the team.

_Nononononono_, Aziraphale thought desperately. Memories flashed through his mind so fast that it left him with a headache; him and Crowley meeting in the park, the two of them slowly but surely getting over their species and personality differences, falling in love, and then the fateful day that Aziraphale had to leave with his parents to throw the hunter tailing them off their trail, though in the end it had still been a hunter that felled Crowley. _"I love you, my Zira…" _He could hear Crowley like it was yesterday. The doctors stilled their frantic attempts, and Aziraphale knew he would never forget the next words spoken, for they finally broke his silent tears into violent, body wracking sobs.

"Time of death, 12:52 a.m."

…

…

…

When a sobbing, broken Aziraphale came out into the waiting room, everyone knew it was over. Jo was trying to fight tears (Crowley had been her best friend, for God's sake) but she ended up crying right along with Aziraphale. Sam, sweet little Sam that wanted nothing to do with the hunting life, looked both furious and devastated at the same time, unshed tears brimming in his eyes. Dean's face was free of tears, but Castiel took his hand and could feel it tremble. The blue eyed angel was also heartbroken over Crowley's death; they hadn't been as close as Crowley, Chuck, and Jo, but Crowley had been Castiel's friend.

Mary went over to comfort Aziraphale, because it was obvious he was the worst off of everyone there. Becky, who had been called by a sniffling Chuck and informed of the news, came in with tears already in her eyes. She was shaking her head like she didn't believe it. Chuck nodded sadly, trying for all it was worth not to break down and appear as girly as everyone made him out to be. Becky started sobbing in little squeaks, hiding in Chuck's arms and yelling about how awful and unfair it was.

Gabriel hadn't known Crowley that well, but he knew that the demon was a great kid, and he too found himself teary eyed. Most of them hadn't realized how much they all cared about Crowley until it was too late. Everyone started clinging to one another; Dean to Cas, Sam to Gabriel, Aziraphale to Mary, Becky to Chuck, and Jo to her mother Ellen, who had been the one to drive her here. Even the nurse that came out nearly cried herself at the sight of all of these devastated, weeping children.

Dean and Sam moved to console each other like any brothers would, and Gabriel approached Castiel, but the older angel disappeared with a soft flapping of wings. Cas first made sure no one was looking so he wouldn't have to explain why he vanished out of thin air. Castiel now stood outside on a deserted segment of sidewalk. He turned his face towards the sky and closed his eyes. No matter where you are in the world, there's always a surefire way to summon an angel to your location.

"Father, I need to speak with you. I know we are not on the best of terms, but please. It's urgent," he prayed.

It was a few minutes before Michael bothered to show up. His presence was announced by the telltale rustling of unseen wings. Castiel turned around, knowing he must look awful. After all, he'd spent hours in a hospital. His clothes were crooked and wrinkled, his hair was a total mess, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Michael noticed how bad his son looked, but that didn't mean he in any way cared.

"What do you want, Castiel?" he snapped.

Castiel straightened his spine, refusing to be intimidated. "You are an archangel, father. You can resurrect the dead. Crowley was killed by a hunter."

"You think I will waste my time on that pathetic abomination?" Michael scoffed.

"No. That's why I wanted to make an arrangement."

Michael looked at him with patronizing amusement. "Is that so?"

"I am a direct descendant of your bloodline. I could grow to be a powerful angel, and you know that. I'm sure I could be of use to you. So I'll do anything…anything you want. Just please, _please_ bring Crowley back."

"And what could you possibly have that I would want?"

Well, it wasn't a no, so Castiel replied with, "That's for you to decide."

Michael smirked. Castiel had recently become more headstrong than he was comfortable with, and though Gabriel had been a lost cause from the day he was old enough to say "screw you," Castiel could still be reformed. He wanted leverage over his strong willed son; it was just empowering enough to draw him in. He got right up in Castiel's face, still wearing his twisted smirk.

Cas knew right then that he'd gotten himself into something terrible, but he reminded himself that it was for the sake of an innocent. With that knowledge fresh in his mind, he swallowed and stared up at his father, prepared to accept whatever fate was about to be handed to him, no matter how awful it may be.

* * *

><p>"Where's Cas?" Dean asked about fifteen minutes after the angel disappeared, having been too wrapped up talking to Sam to notice his absence.<p>

"He went out to get some fresh air, not sure where he went though," Gabriel lied quickly. He had a feeling that Castiel was up to something secret, and since Dean most likely didn't know about angels yet, Gabriel figured it was best to keep Dean out of whatever situation Castiel had gotten himself into.

Mary was still holding Aziraphale, who had given up on trying to find respite in the cruelty of the waking world and fell asleep - or more appropriately, passed out. He was emotionally drained to the point that no one knew if he was going to be okay. Mary had already taken to mothering the little angel since obviously his parents weren't going to be here for him.

Jo was leaning against Ellen, the older woman's eyes puffy and red as she stroked her daughter's hair. Crowley had been like family to the Harvelles. And Becky, who didn't even know Crowley like everyone else did…well, the poor soul was_ still_ crying. She was enough about anyone as it was, and the death of a classmate had really broken her. Someone that she may not have known, but had seen every day and had seen alive only a couple days ago. Chuck still kept his arms around the crying blond.

It wasn't too much longer before Cas walked back in (because appearing in the middle of the room would be a little conspicuous), looking tired and defeated. He rubbed the side of his face as if it was sore. Dean looked over at him and would have usually offered his boyfriend a smile, but he was just too saddened by Crowley's death.

"How are you doing, Dean?" asked Castiel, walking over and taking Dean's hand.

The hunter's green eyes drifted over to Aziraphale, his voice rough when he said, "I never thought I'd see the day when Crowley wasn't around. He was sarcastic, yeah, but he was so _alive_. He was happy. And now he's dead…because of my dad. Watching Aziraphale has put some things into prospective for me, I guess."

"What things?' Cas asked softly, running his thumb across the top of Dean's hand.

"Sometimes there are things you wanna say, but it always seems like wrong place, wrong time. But after this happened to Crowley, I realized sometimes you just gotta man up and say stuff before it's too late. Stuff you shoulda said a long time ago. Maybe you don't always have as much time as you thought you would."

Castiel knew that Dean's emotions were laid bare right now. He was especially sure of that when Dean gently leant their foreheads together, his breath warming the angel's face. Dean didn't seem to care that they were in front of people, though almost everyone either weren't paying attention or was asleep. Dean took a deep breath and forced out the words he'd been trying so hard to say for so, so long now.

"Castiel Novak, I lo-"

And because damn if the world's timing couldn't get any worse, suddenly a doctor burst through the doors that led to the rooms. He looked shocked and amazed. Castiel knew the reason, but remained silent. He didn't want anyone knowing what he'd done to bring Crowley back.

"We don't know how, but Crowley has a pulse again," the doctor said amazedly.

Aziraphale had been limply laying in Mary's arms, but now he was at full attention, his head snapping up. Not only was Crowley alive, but that very demon strode through the doors; dressed, alive, and well. The group that had just been mourning him were all in shock, save for the solemn blue eyed angel that had been responsible for this very "miracle," as the doctors called it.

The following moment was like something out of a cheap romantic comedy. Aziraphale and Crowley's eyes locked on each other, and before Crowley could even take a step closer, Aziraphale was throwing himself into Crowley's arms, sobbing and holding the demon like to let him go was to lose him. Crowley tightened his arms around his Zira and buried his face in the angel's hair, rambling on almost incoherently about how much he loved Aziraphale and how he was never, ever going to let him go.

Castiel watched the scene unfold with a somewhat melancholy smile…alas, there was still a price to pay.

**To Be Continued**


	13. Castiel's Secret

**Author's Note:**

**Okay guys, I know I am a day late, but I have a surprise for you! In this chapter we have a special guest writer…*drum roll*…A Darker Heaven and Hell! Cheyenne, who was the mastermind behind the idea for this fic, has co-written this chapter with me. The carnival scene is 100% her :D She definitely added some awesomeness to this chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"<em>I'll tell you what you are to me. You're my God given solace<em>

_I want you to promise me one thing_

_Whatever happens, don't you ever stop talking to me."_

_~Derek Morgan_

From the prospective of someone from the outside looking in, the days following Crowley's "miraculous" recovery were lovely as could be (everyone had gotten a good laugh when Becky shoved Zira out of the way so she could squeal and throw her arms around Crowley). That is, until you saw what happened behind closed doors. Closed polished, mahogany doors that led inside the Novak home, actually. Castiel became oddly clingy to Dean, wanting to be with him and take comfort in his affections as much as possible so he could hold on to that when he returned to the nightmare that was his home life. Dean loved Cas to death, but he was beginning to wonder why his boyfriend had suddenly forgotten the meaning of personal space.

On Monday, after school (which had been attended with the school's newest student, Aziraphale, who'd refused to leave Crowley's side since his not quite death) Sam and Gabriel found themselves once more in heir favorite hangout: the local sweets store. The kind old lady that owned it knew the boys by name these days. Gabriel and Sam were in their usual spot; a park bench not far away from the bakery. This time they were sharing a large slice of chocolate cheesecake. No one had done any further investigating on Crowley's recovery. After all, looking a gift horse in the mouth never ended well.

"If we ever get married, we should get this stuff for our cake," Gabriel commented offhandedly.

Sam nearly choked on his bite of cheesecake. Did he hear that right? _Married_? Not that marrying Gabriel sounded like a bad thing, not at all, but…wow. He'd never thought that far ahead. Gabriel grinned and Sam's reaction. It was so cute when his human got flustered. He was glad to see Sam being his usual expressive self; he'd worried that what John had done would wreck Sam, but his human simply chose not to speak to his father or even acknowledge he existed. Dean had screamed and yelled at his father for hours before finally following Sam's example and completely ignoring him altogether.

Gabriel's eyes were far away as he said, "I bet if Balthazar's still out there somewhere, he'd come to walk me down the aisle."

Sam chose not to comment on how weary he was of all this marriage talk and instead intoned, "I know he would, Gabriel."

Gabriel's mood seemed to lighten, for he took a forkful of the cheesecake and promptly shoved it in Sam's face. The human pushed the plate aside and tackled Gabriel to the ground, tickling his angel until he screamed and begged for mercy. After Crowley had woken up and everything had calmed down, things had been perfect as could be, and Sam and Gabriel and had never been happier.

"We should go out again tonight to celebrate Crowley being alive," Sam commented awhile later as they lay on the ground, side by side.

"I know just the place!" Gabriel squealed happily.

* * *

><p>"Where are you taking me?" Sam asked Gabriel, as he could hear laughter and screaming.<p>

After Crowley got better, Gabriel practically jumped at the idea of them going out again. So now here they were, with Sam blindfolded and Gabriel smiling like an idiot.

"You can open your eyes now," Gabriel informed Sam as he took away the blindfold.

Sam opened his eyes to see bright lights, people running in all sorts of different directions, and carnival rides as far as the eye can see.

"This is…amazing!" Sam yelled with excitement as he grabbed the angel's hand and ran off.

They started off on the teacups, Gabriel spinning them as fast as he could. Sam stumbled off the ride, looking a little green but he laughed it off as the pair raced off to another ride. After hours of fun, laughter, and rides, they started to actually listen to their stomachs and get something to eat.

"What do you want to eat?" Sam asked his boyfriend as he pulled out some money.

"Oh no you're not, I'm the one whose taking you out on this date so that means I pay," Gabriel ordered Sam politely. He was doingeverything in his power to make this their best date yet, and so far it was going perfect.

"Hmmm…" Sam thought as he wondered what he wanted to eat. "Surprise me."

"Will do," Gabriel answered as Sam went to go find a table. A couple of minutes later Gabriel came walking to Sam with a tray of Elephant Ears.

"Nice choice."

Sam beamed as the pair dug into their food. The two boys were happy as could be, having two perfect dates in a row. Not many couples can say that. After they devoured the sugary sweet, Gabriel linked his arm with Sam's and headed off into the direction of the Farris Wheel. They climbed onto the colorful ride and snuggled close to each other, the cart sailing up into the air. After a minute or two the cart stopped abruptly at the top, almost like it was some cheesy love movie.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Gabriel asked as he looked out on the lit up scene of the carnival.

"Not as beautiful as you," Sam confessed as the pair looked into each other'seyes. Sam cupped Gabriel's face and closed the distance between the two of them as they shared a kiss. The kiss wasn't long, but it was amazing.

"Sam?" Gabriel asked his human.

"Yeah?"

"This may be cheesy, but this night was perfect."

* * *

><p>Another angel, however, didn't have the luxury of being as happy and stress free as his brother was.<p>

Castiel was currently in Dean's room, sitting on his bed and happily watching a movie with him, but of course his happiness wouldn't last as long as he would have liked. He chose to make the most of though. They snuggled up next to each other, their fingers laced together. Dean lightly stroked Castiel's hair as the credits rolled. By all means the angel appeared happy, but that was just to people that didn't know what he'd gotten himself into.

"I'm cold," he murmured, snuggling closer to Dean.

Dean smiled and pulled the blankets back, crawling under them with the fussy angel. Cas burrowed into the warmth of Dean's body, surrounded by blankets and the comforting weight of his human's arms. He had until this Saturday to decide whether he should search for a way out of his arrangement or simply accept his fate for what it was. But the thought of not ever having this again; this warm, safe feeling that always pulled him under whenever he was in Dean's arms, was appalling.

"Dean?"

He looked down and into nervous blue eyes. "Yeah?"

"If I told you I had done something that you would probably view as very stupid…would you still forgive me?" Cas asked quietly.

"What kinda question is that?" Dean asked, forcing a laugh to cover his confusion.

"Answer it."

Dean started gently rubbing Castiel's back under the blankets, pulling the angel even closer to him. "Whatever it was, I'd help you get out of it and ask questions later."

"You mean that?"

"'Course. Cas…what have you gotten yourself into?"

"I can't tell you all the details. I just need you to trust me," Cas replied in a pleading voice.

Dean shifted to get a better look at his boyfriend's expression. "You're gonna have to give me a little more than that."

Castiel fell silent. How could he possibly explain himself? He was so deep in lies that he felt like a fly helplessly trying to fight his way out before the spider grew hungry and consumed him. He was tangled and wrapped within this web, cutting through it down to the core, where the biggest lie rested. He was an angel…and he still hadn't told Dean, meaning he couldn't explain how Michael had brought Crowley back, meaning he couldn't explain the arrangement he'd made with his father.

Meaning he couldn't explain how he only had until the night of the dance to leave Dean.

**To Be Continued**


	14. A Boy's Promise

***Next chapter is the dance! Sorry for the slight fillerness of this one. BTW, there is a link to a picture of Gabriel's new accessory (don't want to tell you what it is and give it away) on my profile :D**

"_Everyone thinks that I have it all_

_But it's so empty living behind these castle walls_

_These castle walls_

_If I should tumble, if I should fall_

_Would anyone hear me screaming behind this castle walls?_

_There's no one here at all, behind these castle walls."_

_~Castle Walls by Christina Aguilera and T.I._

Castiel, who'd evaded Dean's well meant probing and left the Winchester house, was now back at his own home. But perhaps home wasn't the correct term. Home usually meant peace and asylum, somewhere you could take shelter when the ever present storm of life grew too much to bear. The Novak residence was just the opposite; it was not the shelter from the storm, it was the eye of it. And because he had no other choice, he walked right back into this metaphorical storm, closing the door to the outside world behind him.

"Took you long enough," grumbled Michael, who was sitting in his armchair.

The rest of the bottom floor of the house was empty, and Castiel shot him a glare before striding past him so he could go upstairs, but Michael grabbed his arm in a bruising grip and yanked him backwards. Cas winced, knowing there would be splotchy bruises on his right arm tomorrow. Michael paid no mind to how delicate and sensitive Castiel's skin was.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Upstairs."

Michael smirked. "I don't think so."

"Let go, you're hurting me," Cas hissed, trying to pull his arm back.

Michael only tightened his hold, and Cas had to hold back a cry of pain. "I thought we agreed that you would mind you tone with me, boy."

"Sorry, I forgot that I was supposed to mind my tone around dogs," Cas growled defiantly.

Suddenly his cheek was stinging and his arm was released. He stumbled back and stared at his father in shock. Michael handled him roughly and talked down to him, but except for that one time right after they made their arrangement simply to assert his dominance, Michael hadn't actually slapped him. This made the second time. Castiel shrunk back, fearful of how far Michael would take it. He took off upstairs as soon as he saw that Michael was finished with him.

He sat down on his bed and closed his eyes, a tear falling out and slipping down his cheek, which still stung. His body trembled under the layers of clothes that concealed the bruises left by the way Michael would harshly grab his arm, shoulder, or wrist. Castiel was a victim of abuse and he was just now realizing it. His tears gave way to sobs that wracked his entire body. He laid down, buried his face in his pillow, and _cried_. Cried like he would never stop.

Life was going on as smoothly as ever, but behind these walls, his entire life was crashing down around him.

* * *

><p>Later, Gabriel walked into Castiel's room and found him on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. He looked…well, broken was the only word that came to Gabriel's mind. He immediately raced over and sat down next to his big brother, asking what was wrong. Cas turned empty, depressed blue eyes on him. They just didn't sparkle like they used to.<p>

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. "Did Dean hit it and quit it? I swear to God if he did I will hack off his-"

Castiel's somewhat flat laughter cut him off. It was crooked and unbalanced like a framed photo hung at the wrong angle, but it was the first genuine laughter he'd felt rising in his chest for days. Gabriel watched him like he was insane. Cas smiled up at his brother affectionately, who along with Dean had become his own personal ray of light in this endlessly dark nightmare.

"Are you okay?" Gabriel asked.

Castiel ignored the throbbing in his arm. "I am fine, Gabriel. How are things with you and Sam?"

"We're gonna get married one day."

Cas raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Yep. If he doesn't I'll handcuff him to the bed and eat whipped cream off of him til he begs for mercy."

Castiel cringed, figuring he knew what Gabriel intended on eating that whipped cream off of. "Are you not a bit young to be entertaining such thoughts?"

Gabriel snorted. "Dean has _got_ to pry that stick out of your ass. And who knows, you might enjoy it," he added with a wink.

"Hmm, maybe."

"I thought we weren't 'old enough to be entertaining such thoughts,'" Gabriel mocked, doing a very bad job of imitating Castiel's unnaturally rough voice.

They laughed and talked about the most trivial of things until the very early hours, which was when they fell asleep. Gabriel was happily cuddled up to the security blanket that was his brother, both of them sound asleep. It wouldn't be long before they had to get up and go to school, but for the time being they were too exhausted to hold their eyes open any longer. At least Cas had found respite in the midst of what seemed to be an impossible to escape situation.

* * *

><p>The next morning, as Sam ate his breakfast, he genuinely contemplated the conversation he'd had with Gabriel the day prior. Even though it had been in a joking matter, they had discussed marriage. He toyed with the thought that maybe Gabriel was actually serious about wanting to marry him. Sam was head over heels in love with Gabriel, and the angel had verbally admitted that he felt the same way, so why not put some faith in the idea that they would get married one day?<p>

"Hey Mom?"

She sat down at the table across from him. "Yes, sweetie?"

"Um, how do you tell someone you want to marry them…?"

She smiled and placed her hand on top of his. "Is this about Gabriel?"

He blushed. "We wanna get married someday. But I want him to know I'm serious about it."

"I'll tell you what honey, after school I'll take you to the jewelry store to pick out a promise ring," she said with a fond smile.

"What's that?"

"It's a ring you give someone you really, really love. It means that you promise you'll marry them."

He grinned widely. "Thanks Mom!"

* * *

><p>Later, at school, Cas walked up to Dean in the hallway and gave him a long kiss. Dean smiled as his boyfriend pulled back. "What was that for?"<p>

Cas smiled and took his hand. Last night had changed his perspective on things a bit. He was trying to pick up the pieces in this awful predicament he'd gotten himself into, but there wasn't a complete lack of hope. He had his love and he had Gabriel. Michael could strike him, control him, and give him cruel ultimatums, but he couldn't take away the people Castiel loved. They would keep him strong. He might crash for awhile, but he'd always stand back up. He'd shucked the skin of shy, submissive Castiel to reveal that of a fighter.

"Just because," Cas replied, kissing Dean on the cheek.

Dean smiled at him warmly. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better. You were pretty whacked out last night. So I don't guess you're gonna fess up your dirty little secret?"

"I am sorry Dean, I can't."

Their eyes locked for a moment, and seeing the desperateness of Castiel's gaze, Dean backed off. For now, anyways. "Alright, but I wanna know sooner or later."

"In time, Dean."

They walked hand in hand to class, Mr. Singer rolling his eyes good naturedly at the happy couple and grumbled for them to take their seats. Castiel's wings were literally itching, having been confined for too long. Perhaps that was a sign he should reveal them to Dean, but he pushed the notion aside and chose to ignore the prickling sensation on either side of his spine. Instead he again took Dean's hand under the desk and rested their joined hands on his knee, much happier thinking about Dean than he was his own personal issues. _Denial…_his inner voice whispered. _Shut up, voice, _he replied bitterly.

* * *

><p>Sam invited Gabriel to come over that evening. The angel arrived, puzzled by the soft giggle Mary gave when she saw him. He was shocked to see rose petals covering the stairs, leading up to the second story. He followed the trail all the way to Sam's doorway. Gabriel looked around as he stepped inside, where the petals led to the bed, which was covered in them.<p>

"Uh, Sammy, I'm still a little young to be getting laid, but I guess if you're sure your parents wouldn't mind…"

The door closed, and Sam came around behind him, wrapping his arms around the angel's slender frame. Gabriel leaned back against him instinctively. He couldn't help but wonder about the romantic setting; rose petals scattered everywhere, candles lit on every available surface and serving as the only light in the room, and some soft piano music coming from the little stereo system.

"Did you mean it when you said you would marry me?" Sam whispered.

"Of course I did, Sam. More than anything." Gabriel's voice was just as quiet.

"Good," Sam said, taking his hand and leading him over to the bed.

Gabriel sat down amongst the petals, Sam sitting next to him. He was dressed up in a full suit that must have cost more than the Winchesters really had to spare, but of course Mary couldn't resist dolling her son up for this. Sam withdrew a tiny black box and took a deep breath. Here goes everything.

"What's that?" Gabriel asked softly.

Sam opened it to reveal a small, beautiful ring. It had an intricately detailed white gold band that dipped into a V in the front center with a cluster of three circular diamonds in the center of the V. It was small, sized custom for Gabriel's finger, which Sam knew the size of without even having to ask. His mother had to pull in some pretty heavy favors with the jeweler to get it all done today. Its cost was enough to make anyone's eyes pop, but Mary hadn't let Sam see the price and insisted on buying it when she saw the way his eyes lit up the moment he saw it.

"This is a…promise ring. It means that I promise to marry you someday…so," Sam started, kneeling on the floor in front of Gabriel, "Gabriel Novak, will you marry me when we're old enough?"

Tears were in Gabriel's eyes. "No."

Sam's entire face fell, and just when he thought his heart would break into a few million pieces, Gabriel threw his head back and laughed so hard his ribs hurt. "Just kidding! Of course I'll marry you someday, Sammy!"

Relief flooding him, a grin broke across Sam's face as he slipped the ring onto what Mary had said was Gabriel's "ring finger." He stood up and swept Gabriel into his arms, spinning him around before kissing him silly. They laughed senselessly and tumbled onto the bed. Gabriel never wanted to take the ring off, but he did briefly, simply because he wanted to read what it was engraved with.

On one side it simply had _"S+G" _and on the other it read _"Because I kinda love you, maybe just a little."_

Gabriel grinned and put it back on. "I kinda love you too, Sammy."

**To Be Continued**


	15. Love's Strength

**Author's Note:**

***The song mentioned during the dance is "One and Only" be Adele**

**Okay, so you're probably wondering why this is a freakishly long chapter, huh? Well, pretty much everything is coming to a head now, so strap in! Sorry for the lack of Sabriel, but for right now there wasn't a lot to be done with those two. This chapter and the next are the angst overloads I have been warning you all about since the beginning of the fic. Yes, I'm evil and I've had this planned since I started writing. Sorry people, I am cruel :P**

**I hope you still stick with the fic though! I can't tell you how much I love you all for the tons of reviews you give me! I am amazed by how freakin awesome you all are for the never ending kind words and support. It has been angsty and definitely had some of it's not-so-perfect moments, but you guys have stuck around and you have no idea how grateful I am!**

**Anyways, without further ado, here we go!**

* * *

><p><em>"Oh, broken angel, were you sad when he crushed all your dreams?<em>

_Oh, broken angel, inside you're dying 'cause you can't believe."_

_~Broken Angel by Boyce Avenue_

It was finally the night.

The days leading up to it had been tense with excitement and tension, but finally, here they were. It was the night of the dance. Sam was donning the suit he'd "proposed" to Gabriel in, Dean was slipping into his own, and the Novaks were in their rooms doing the same thing. Gabriel was so excited that he more wriggled into his than he did simply put it on. He was going to go over to Sam's, and Mary was dropping them off at the dance.

Castiel was excited, had been since the moment Dean had asked him, but there was also a sense of dread clouding his happiness. He was out of time. Michael had given him until tonight to break up with Dean, and the sand in the hourglass had finally all sifted to the bottom. He had until the end of this night, and he planned to make the absolute best of it for as long as possible. Tears threatened to well up in his eyes at the thought of this being the last night he'd be with Dean, but he pushed them back. He couldn't let his own mistake taint his final night with his love.

So he slipped into his suit, which consisted of matching black slacks, jacket, and shirt, paired with a dark blue silk tie that did wonders for his eyes. The boys had hardly been expecting it, but Anna had bought them. Probably out of guilt for pretending they didn't exist. They were tailored for them perfectly, snugly fitting against their bodies. Both of them looked as handsome as could be.

Cas finished getting dressed and hesitantly approached Anna's door. After a brief moment of wondering if he should just turn around and leave, he raised his hand and lightly knocked. There was an irritated sigh from within before Anna pulled it open. She tried to fix her brother with an icy glare, but it melted when she saw him all gussied up in his suit, but more by the small bruise on the side of his face. She remembered caking foundation onto her own bruises before Michael had transferred his temper tantrums onto his younger children.

"What do you want, Castiel?" she asked emotionlessly.

Michael's slaps had made him afraid of speaking up to anyone that wasn't Dean, Sam, or Gabriel, so his voice was quiet and fearful when he said, "I was just hoping you could cover this up. I don't want anyone to know about it."

She reached out to grab his arm so she could pull him into her room, but he shied away like that hand was going to hit him. Anna, as much as she tried not to care about her baby brother, felt her heartstrings pull a little. He was so fragile and scared. With uncharacteristic gentleness, she laid a careful hand on his shoulder and drew him into her room, closing the door behind them.

She walked into the bathroom adjoined to her room and called over her shoulder, "I'm not going to hurt you, Castiel."

Anna returned a moment later with some foundation, glad that her and Cas shared the exact same skin tone. She sat him down on the edge of the bed and knelt in front of him, biting her lip when he saw the bruise up close. Contrary to very popular belief, she wasn't a complete and total bitch, she still had enough of a heart to feel guilty that she'd stood by while Michael hit her little brother. But then again, even she knew that the fact she_ had _stood around was just as bad as being the one to hit him. She hadn't even lifted a finger.

"You look nice," she commented quietly, opening the container of mineral makeup and swirling a brush around in it.

"Thank you. I, um, haven't got a chance to say thanks for this," he said, tugging at the sleeve of his suit jacket to indicate what he meant.

She gently applied the makeup to his skin, coating it until you could no longer see the bruise. "It's the least I could do." They both knew she felt guilty; they both knew there was really nothing to say about it.

He stood up and left her room without another word. Castiel didn't really resent his sister, he was just somewhat indifferent about her. She hadn't tried to stop their father from harming him even though she knew what was going on, but she hadn't joined the abuse, either. He didn't love her, he didn't hate her. She was just…well, there. But life was too short to harbor any resentment towards her.

* * *

><p>Dean straightened his bowtie, gave himself a once-over in the mirror, and winked at his oh so handsome reflection before going downstairs. His parents were curious about who he was taking to the dance, so he was going to walk Cas back here and introduce him to his family as his boyfriend. At first he'd been nervous about it, but it was about time he came clean. And he wasn't ashamed of his boyfriend, not at all, he was just a little embarrassed that for all of his innuendoes about women that he was dating a guy. But hey, it was Cas, so he was worth every bit of it.<p>

Gabriel was already there, but Mary insisted on getting pictures of the boys with their dates, so Dean left to pick up Cas so they could get this show on the road. He soon knocked on the door of the Novak home, which opened to reveal none other than the very blue eyed boyfriend he was looking for. Dean was taken aback by how beautiful Castiel looked. His hair was as untamed as ever, but those sapphire blue eyes were accented with a dark blue tie and a solid black suit. He looked…there were just no words for it. Dean's breath was taken away.

"So are you, um, ready to go?" he finally managed.

Cas smiled and stepped out, closing the door behind him. "I am. You look lovely, Dean."

Dean's classic black and white tux was paled in comparison. "Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself, hot stuff."

Castiel blushed and took his arm, the two of them strolling down the sidewalk together. He leaned his head happily against Dean's shoulder as they walked, and Dean leaned over to kiss his temple. They got back to the Winchester house far too soon. Dean braced himself and opened the door, gracefully guiding his boyfriend into the living room. Everyone turned to see who was on his arm.

"Mom, unfortunately biological father that I am not acknowledging, this is my boyfriend, Castiel Novak," he declared proudly. It felt good to say it aloud and finally come out with it.

Jphn was silent, but Mary smiled at him, not nearly as shocked as he was expecting. "Well congratulations honey, he's quite the young man." Cas blushed at her words. "Now let's take some pictures!"

Dean was thankful that she was taking it so well. He breathed a sigh of relief and tucked Cas under his arm, Sam walking over to stand next to him, Gabriel leaning against his little brother's side. They all four clustered together and smiled. A moment later, the camera flashed. Mary smiled and took one of just Sam and Gabriel, then one of just Dean and Cas, and finally decided they could go. Sam and Gabriel got in the backseat of her car while Dean took Castiel's arm so he could walk him to the dance.

The decorations at the dance weren't too special, just the expected red and pink hearts hanging from the ceiling and colorful snacks and drinks, but none of the mattered. Dean only had eyes for Cas. Aziraphale and Crowley arrived shortly after they did, hand in hand. They looked so happy, so in love. If Cas had ever entertained the idea of regretting his decision to save Crowley even at the cost of losing Dean, there was no way he ever could after seeing those two. He had changed two people's lives for the better.

Then Becky and Chuck arrived, followed shortly by Jo, who was being escorted just as friends by her cousin, Ash. Sam and Gabriel had already been there and were standing at the food table, feeding each other the mini cupcakes, heedless of the sprinkles that ended up on their noses. Dean and Cas waved at them, and they waved back distractedly before returning their attention to each other.

Dean grinned and held out his hand. "May I have this dance, Mr. Novak?"

Castiel laughed and took his hand. "You may, Mr. Winchester."

The human pulled Cas out onto the dance floor and placed one hand on his boyfriend's waist, their free hands clasped together. Cas rested his other hand on Dean's shoulder and they found themselves swaying easily to the song a local female singer was covering. It was slow and sweet. The more Dean listened to the lyrics, the more he felt like someone was singing this about the way he felt for Cas.

"_You've been on my mind_

_I grow fonder every day, lose myself in time_

_Just thinking of your face_

_God only knows why it's taking me so long _

_To let my doubts go_

_You're the only one that I want_

_I don't know why I'm scared, I've been here before_

_Every feeling, every word, I've imagined it all_

_You'll never know if you never try_

_To forgive your past and simply be mine."_

They had changed positions. Castiel's arms were around Dean's neck, his were around Cas' waist, and Cas had his head leaned against Dean's chest. They swayed together, and Dean pressed his lips to the top of Castiel's head, moved by the song playing and trying to hold back the three words that he wanted so badly to say to Castiel right now. The song reached its chorus as he grappled with the desire to finally confess how he felt about the beautiful boy in his embrace.

"_I dare you to let me be your one and only_

_Promise I'm worthy to hold in your arms_

_So come on, and give me a chance_

_To prove I am the one who can walk that mile_

_Until the end starts."_

Castiel leaned back to look at Dean, and as the song continued around them, they leaned in for a kiss that could only be considered as bittersweet. Cas knew it would be their last. He fought tears and held Dean close, their lips brushing together lovingly. He knew this was his last chance to admit to Dean just how deeply he cared.

"Dean," he started, his eyes glistening, "I love you so much…"

Dean's eyes were sparkling with happiness and love as he caressed the side of Castiel's face in the gentlest of touches. "I love you too, Cas. More than you know." _Finally, _Dean thought. It felt so damn good to finally say it.

When they kissed again, Castiel's tears finally fell. It felt like the beginning, but this was the end. It was killing him. This should be the start of a beautiful love between him and Dean, but Cas knew that this kiss was a goodbye. Dean felt the wetness against his face and pulled back to see the tears streaming down Cas' face.

"Cas, baby, what's wrong?" he whispered, using a pet name without even realizing it.

Castiel closed his eyes as Dean gently wiped the tears from his face. "I'm so sorry…"

"For what?"

It was right then that the angel decided that it was time to come clean about everything. Every secret he'd ever kept, every lie he'd ever fabricated. No matter how hard it may be, Dean deserved that much. Cas was going to break his heart before the night was over. Dean at least deserved to know all of who was breaking up with him. Castiel didn't want Dean's memories of him to be tainted, but he would rather Dean remember a bittersweet truth than a perfect lie.

He reached down and took his human's hand, leading him off the dance floor. "We need to talk, Dean. Alone."

* * *

><p>A cover of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" filled the gym, which was not the most ideal song by all means, but Sam and Gabriel were having a blast dancing and goofing off and didn't really care. Neither of them were very good dancers and were promptly making idiots of themselves. Crowley spun by with his Zira and laughed good naturedly at the boys. Chuck and Becky both had two left feet and were situated at a table together.<p>

"You look stupid, guys," Jo informed them as she danced with her cousin, who was really more like a brother.

Sam smiled at her teasing tone. "Says the girl dancing with the guy with a mullet."

"Touché."

He smiled and went back to dancing (could it even be called that?) with Gabriel, the lights above them catching the angel's ring and bringing a smile to Sam's face. He loved the sight of it. Dean and Cas had disappeared from the crowd, but Sam and Gabriel were having too much fun to notice. They danced to song after song, not once noticing their brothers' absence.

* * *

><p>"Why'd you bring me here, Cas?" Dean asked as the ascended onto the roof.<p>

"We need to talk in private," Cas replied flatly.

Castiel stepped over to the edge, the night breeze ruffling his hair. He turned his face up to the sky. He'd come to terms with how this night would end. It hurt, hurt so bad he felt like someone was taking a knife to his chest, but Dean had to know before Cas left him. He unbuttoned his jacket and slid it off. Dean watched in confusion as the dark blue tie and button down shirt were also shed. Castiel looked over his shoulder at Dean; their eyes met and held.

"Dean, you have to know what I am. I should have told you long before now."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean asked. This was getting too weird, too fast.

Cas didn't respond to the hunter with words. He instead closed his eyes and released the pressure that had been building up on either side of his spine. It was almost painful after they had been concealed for so long. Dean was stepping back, telling himself that he was either going crazy or that this was a dream. But he didn't wake up, nor did he suddenly become sane as two beautiful, feathery, solid white appendages arched from his boyfriend's back. They were easily twice as tall as Castiel. He found himself frozen.

"What kind of sick joke is this?" hr growled when he finally found his voice.

"It is not a joke," Castiel said, turning to face him, his wings rustling slightly with the movement. "I am an angel, Dean. I was born one. My entire family are angels."

"No. You're not…"

"Not what?" Cas asked softly, dreading the end of that sentence.

Dean had started backing up again. "You're not a monster. You're not some inhuman, immoral son of a bitch that my father warned me about! No, you can't be…"

"I'm not a monster, Dean," Castiel said, walking closer to him. "I am still Castiel. I'm the same person you love."

"Get away from me," the human hissed. "No, I _love_ a human. I don't _love_ a _monster_. My dad warned me about you angels. You seem so normal, but you're so-"

"Dean!" Cas cut him off, his voice wobbling as he tried to hold back sobs. "_Monster_? That's what you think of me? This doesn't change anything! I'm not evil, Dean, just because I'm not human!"

"Yeah well you put on one hell of a show, I'll give you that! I've never seen evil cry before," Dean said cruelly as Cas broke down into sobs.

Castiel was the one backing away now, wrapping his wings around himself. The one human he thought he could trust with his secret had just thrown it back in his face. He sunk to his knees on the roof, his wings shielding him, his sobs wracking his body. This was how it was going to end? This love they had, and it was going to end this way? All he'd wanted was for Dean to know and accept him for what he was, not _this_. Dean thought he was a monster. The brokenhearted angel cried; for making the mistake of loving Dean, for the father that hit him, for the love of his life turning his back on him…for everything he'd lost, for everything he'd never had the chance to gain.

"Cas?"

That was _Dean_'s voice. Not the cruel hunter that had been a perfect replica of John Winchester. Not the one that had been verbally attacking Castiel only moments ago. Dean softly repeated his name several times before Cas finally peered out at him from between his wings. The human looked guilty, so very, genuinely guilty. Like he actually regretted what he'd said.

"What do you want from me?" Cas whispered, his voice scratchy from his tears.

Dean crouched in front of him. "Cas…I didn't realize…I thought you were a..."

"Monster. Yes, I heard it the first time."

"I was being a dick, I didn't even think. I didn't know you were actually…look man, I freaked, okay? I'm sorry, damn it I am so sorry. I would take it all back if I could. Angel, human, demon…hell, I don't care what you are. I love _you_, Cas. I love what's under all those feathers, and whatever superpowers you might have. _You_. My Castiel."

Those massive wings opened to reveal the tear streaked face of the angel. He saw the sincerity on Dean's face, knowing how badly his human wished to be forgiven. Castiel spread his wings backwards, making himself vulnerable once more. He flinched when Dean reached out, but he didn't pull away. The human leaned forwards tentatively, and finally, he pulled Castiel into his arms, whispering "I'm sorry, Cas, I'm so sorry…" into his ear over and over again.

Castiel's wings wrapped around the two of them, enclosing them in a haven of soft, velvety feathers. He came to a painful realization at that moment. Dean, although he had broken Cas' heart into a few million pieces along the way, _still loved him_. Had never really stopped, for that matter. Castiel, as selfish as that may seem, couldn't let that love go. He couldn't hold Dean in his arms, in the confines of his wings, and part with this feeling. This bond that had survived lies, secrets, and the impossibility of a hunter accepting an angel. He just _couldn't_.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked when he felt Cas tense under him.

Castiel pulled back, his wings still lightly brushing Dean. "There is something I must do."

"Um, I think you can take a break for tonight, I'm pretty sure we've had enough drama…"

"I have to, Dean," he said, giving his human a long, heady kiss. "I shall return for you. I love you."

There was a rustling sound, and the angel disappeared. Dean looked around. Cas had just literally vanished into thin air. Dean ran his fingers through his short hair, wondering what the hell he'd just gotten himself into. Had he seriously just saw his boyfriend's _wings_ and then said he loved him anyways? Either he was really effing stupid, or he loved Cas more than he realized. He was willing to bet on the latter.

Meanwhile, Castiel arrived in the middle of the Novak living room, his wings unfolded behind him. He felt so powerful, so strong. Like he could take on the world. Now, he knew that he had Dean waiting for him, he knew that against all odds, his human still loved him. And that was more empowering than his cold hearted father could ever hope to imagine. Michael came out of the kitchen and took in his son, from the outstretched wings to the challenging expression.

Castiel's wings were open in what all angels recognized as an alpha male position. "I told him _everything_, you son of a bitch. He knows everything about me. So go ahead, hit me. Tell me to break up with him. Threaten me. I don't care. He knows what I am, and you know what? He loves me anyways. And _that_ is something you can never touch."

And for the first time in three years, he remembered what it felt like to be on the wrong end of his father's rage…

**To Be Continued**


	16. The Savior's Return

**Author's Note:**

**So sorry for not updating last night, guys! My muse and I have been having some issues, but it finally came back this morning and let me finish this chapter :P (I guess watching three episodes of Leverage in one day didn't help, huh?) This fic is starting to wind down, I am taking it to 20 chapters I think. *sniffs* I am going to really miss writing this, and of course I am going to miss all of you wonderful reviewers that have stuck with me! Oh, speaking of reviewers, I have replies for some anonymous ones :D**

**Cynnie - You're totally right. I went back and read both reactions, compared them, and realized how off that was. I added a paragraph to the beginning of this chapter to try to smooth it out, but it's still pretty mismatched. Sorry about that, but thanks for pointing it out so I can try to keep that from happening again.**

**jenni - Thanks so much! I have always loved writing about the angels' wings, so they are usually featured at least once in my SPN fics :D Thanks again, I really appreciate your feedback!**

**Okay, all done now :-)**** Tally ho!**

* * *

><p>"<em>Lights will guide you home<em>

_And ignite your bones_

_And I will try to fix you."_

_~Fix You by Coldplay_

Dean sat on the couch, mulling over that night's events. Sam and Gabriel were still at the dance, but he'd decided to come home early, lying to his parents and mumbling something about feeling sick and having already walked Cas home. Mary insisted on him having some tea and crackers, and he had no choice but to oblige, so after that he asked for some time alone. Now here he was, sitting on the really ugly sofa, contemplating his relationship with the love of his life, who he'd just found out was an angel. Wow. _What a night_, he thought.

He remembered how crept out he'd been when Cas had wrapped them in his wings, but then it given way to an odd sense of comfort. Dean had felt warm and secure, holding Cas and being shielded from the world by those soft, snowy feathers. They were beautiful. Something about their brightness and purity reminded him of the very angel they belonged to. Call him crazy, but angel or no angel, he found that his love for Cas was out of his control. It just kept pulling him along, closer and closer until he felt like he could never stand to part with his angel. _His angel. _He liked the way that sounded.

Finding out had been one hell of an ordeal. He'd found out Crowley was a demon and mourned the kid's almost death, but when he learned Cas was an angel, he flew off the deep end. It didn't make any sense. Then again, he'd just felt shocked, betrayed. Crowley was his friend, but the one person that Dean had never kept secrets from was Cas, and it had been a shock to learn that it didn't run both ways. He'd blamed it on his boyfriend being inhuman and immoral and blah, blah, blah, but really he'd just felt a petty sense of betrayal. But in the end, he'd forgiven Cas and Cas had forgiven him, so alls well that ends well, he supposed.

There was a knock on the door. John and Mary were upstairs, unable to hear it, so he sighed and got to his feet. Whoever it was, he might just bless them out because he really wasn't in the mood for company right now. He pulled the door open with a scowl, though nothing could have prepared for what stood on the other side. Nausea rolled though him, and he literally felt like he was going to throw up.

He had no idea how to handle the sight before him, but he managed to whisper a horrified, "Cas…"

That beautiful face was everything short of maimed. He had a black eye, blood trickled from his nose, and there was a gash on the left side of his forehead like he'd been thrown into something. Cas' right wrist hung limply by his side; it was broken. Angels could heal a lot faster than humans could, but even Castiel could only take so much.

Dean immediately wrapped the angel gingerly in his arms, pulling him inside, mindful of his injuries. His first instinct was of course to worry sick, but his second was to start planning his slow, painful murder on whoever had done this.

He laid Cas down on the couch and knelt beside him. "Cas, what happened to you?"

Blue eyes turned to him. They were so lifeless, so pained. Castiel had barely made it to Dean's house without passing out from pain and blood loss from the wound on that back of his head that Dean hadn't yet noticed, but now that he was here and Dean was next to him, he found himself fading into darkness. His voice was hoarse and nearly inaudible, but Dean managed to hear his answer loud and clear.

"Michael."

Dean clenched his jaw as Cas slipped unconscious. His own _father_ had did this to him? And not a single person living there had bothered to lift a finger? Friends, lovers, Dean knew that you had to watch out for them betraying you, but your _parents_? He wasn't naïve, he knew it happened, but then he wondered how long it had been happening right under his nose. He was furious, his hands fisted at his sides as he watched Castiel's breathing even out.

"Mom! Get down here, please!" he yelled, knowing that his aggressive tone was certainly no way to talk to his mother, but dammit he was about to start hitting things (the furniture currently seemed like the best option) if he didn't get out of here.

She ran downstairs in her modest white nightgown and first started to ask what was wrong with Dean, but swiftly cut herself off when she saw the bruised, bloody boy more or less passed out on the couch. Then she noted the murderous rage practically seeping from her son. She'd never heard of and definitely never seen a thirteen year old boy look so terrifyingly enraged before.

"Will you keep an eye on him?" he asked evenly, fighting to keep his temper under control around her.

"Of course, shouldn't we get him to a hospital?"

"No. He told me once that he's terrified of them."

"What happened to him?"

"I'm going to go take care of it. Right now."

Before she could protest or say another word, he stormed out the front door, slamming it behind him. She would have followed to keep him from doing something reckless, but she couldn't very well leave Cas alone with John, who didn't know his ass from a hole in the ground when it came to tending an injured child. He was so used to stitching stuff up with sewing needles and sterilizing wounds with whiskey that he would do more harm to Cas than good. She had to pick Sam and Gabriel up from the dance in half an hour, and she knew Sam wouldn't be happy with it, but she might have to send John to get them given that she couldn't leave Cas there by himself.

* * *

><p>Dean stormed into The Novaks' living room, having thrown the double doors open upon entering. Michael was sitting in his favorite chair, nursing a glass of whiskey. He turned a calm, patronizing glance on Dean as the young human came to stand before him. Castiel had hardly gone down without a fight; Michael had a broken nose and his privates were still sore from the hard kicks Cas had battered them with. But in the end, Michael was an archangel and of course overpowered his weaker son.<p>

"Hello, Dean."

"How the fuck could you do that to Cas?" Dean screamed. "What the hell did he ever do to you!"

"Mind your tone-"

Michael was cut off when Dean threw the contents of a vial of holy oil in his face. The archangel reeled back, his skin sizzling and peeling. He mentally cursed his son, knowing the little brat had probably given some to Dean. Which he had, and Dean was suddenly more thankful about that then ever. He knew how to harm an angel, and even better, he knew how to kill them.

"You little bastard…" Michael hissed, walking closer to the human, ready to smite him.

Dean smirked. "Hey, did I mention that I called up a few people, and they brought a few other people? We're gonna have us a regular little party."

Right on cue, Anna came downstairs, flanked by Gabriel, Sam, and Jo, who'd she'd transported there per Dean's request. Dean had called her and explained what state Castiel was in, and after that, she was all too eager to round up his friends. She also called Lucifer, who soon arrived with Bobby, Crowley, and Aziraphale. Michael was hardly scared of who he viewed as a bunch of kids (save for Lucifer and Bobby, but he wasn't really scared of them either), but what he wasn't remembering is they were _powerful _kids.

He snorted and turned to walk off and away from the drama, but Anna raised her hand, her palm emanating a white light. A moment later, he was thrown across the room. When he tried to stand, Crowley raised a finger and suddenly Michael was writhing in pain. Good old fashioned Lucifer came over and brought his booted foot down on Michael's still aching privates. Aziraphale and Gabriel joined their powers and sent waves of electricity throughout Michael's body, but this was just the foreplay. They were just playing around while Dean decided exactly how he was going to begin his torture on the child abusing son of a bitch.

Angels, humans, and demons all stood before the writhing archangel as an unstoppable team. Nine completely different people, all united to stand up against this disgusting, scum of the earth prick. All because Castiel was currently bruised, bloody, and defeated. Mess with one of them…you mess with all of them. Michael's screams filled the room, for even as powerful as he may be, he was outnumbered by far. Hurting Cas had been his first mistake…and quite possibly his last.

Even sweet, innocent little Sam teamed up with Jo against Michael. They loaded water guns (they _are _kids, people) full of holy oil and promptly pelted Michael with it. Neither were in control of their tempers, but every time they tried to get themselves under control (which wasn't very often) they would think about how bad of shape Cas was in, and go at with renewed vigor. Any small pause would give Michael enough time to recover, so everyone just kept coming and coming with the assaults. Uriel and Raphael were out at a party and missing all the fun, though Dean seriously doubted those dicks would even care about what had happened to Cas.

Finally, when they were satisfied, Aziraphale held out an angel killing blade, and Dean nodded to him gratefully, taking the sword like dagger and tightening his fingers around the hilt. Michael was utterly defeated by now and wouldn't really be putting up a fight, but that wouldn't make killing him any less satisfying. No one in the room lifted a finger to stop Dean as he positioned the blade over Michael's heart. He didn't feel like a child, didn't feel like a boy having a fit; he felt powerful, strong…he felt like a _hunter_.

"This is for Cas, you son of a-"

"Dean!"

He spun around to see John standing in the doorway. Aziraphale, adrenaline high, immediately lifted his hand to smite John for what he'd once done to his demon, but Crowley pulled the angel back. Dean stared his father down, not giving an inch, but in the lull Michael was starting to regain his strength. After that, everything seemed to happen at once, and if you later asked any of them to say exactly what happened first, they would most likely shake their heads or reply with a snort that translated to "bitch, please."

Michael was at full strength again, having recovered from his battering. He shot to his feet and held up his hands, white light blasting from them and sending everyone in the room crashing into - and in some cases, through - the walls, John being thrown from his position in the doorway and down the stairs, several of his bones fracturing or breaking. Michael smirked and closed his eyes, preparing the give the death blow that would wipe out everyone present, excluding himself of course. Looks like Dean hadn't wounded the archangel as much as he would have liked.

* * *

><p>Cas was waking up. Mary sat next to him on the couch, gently cleaning the dried blood from his forehead with a damp washcloth. The angel blinked up at her, and then tried to sit up to look for Dean. Mary laid him back down and whispered for him to take it easy. His body didn't appreciate his sudden attempt to sit up, so somewhat reluctantly, he obliged her.<p>

"Where's Dean?" he asked, his voice harsh and scratchy.

"I think he went to confront who did this to you," she replied.

From Castiel's cheeks drained what little blood had remained in them. "No, no, no, he can't, Michael will kill him, he can't…" he rambled, panicking.

Mary tried to calm him down and assured him that she'd sent John to get Dean before he got himself hurt, but she couldn't help but think that her husband and son should have been back by now. The Novaks only lived three doors down. She bit her lip and hoped for the best. One thing that she did know was that Michael _needed_ to die for what he'd done to this boy. She kissed the uninjured side of Castiel's forehead and whispered for him to try to rest some more, all the awhile wondering what was keeping John and Dean.

* * *

><p>Well, the boys were a little tied up right now. The group that had showed up to take on Michael were strewn all over the first floor of the Novak house, but Michael had for the second time that night been thwarted amidst his plan to smite people. He was getting quite sick of it, actually. Now he could finally roast the irritating little pests, or at least that's how he liked to refer to them.<p>

"Don't even think about it, Mikey dear," said a voice from right behind him.

He opened his eyes and turned around, swallowing and fixing the newcomer with an icy glare that showed no emotion.

"Balthazar."

The angel smiled and waved. "Hello, darling. Miss me?"

**To Be Continued**


	17. A Long Night's End

***Filler-ish alert! Sorry for the late update again, I don't know why my muse keeps leaving :|**

"_No matter what, we get out of this_

_I know, I know we'll never forget…"_

_~Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple_

Michael brandished his angel killing blade and went at Balthazar, but the blond smirked and disappeared, his voice coming from behind Michael when he said, "Nice try, but I think you'll have to do a little better than that."

Balthazar wasn't an archangel, but he was strong, maybe even stronger than Michael. He appeared behind the other angel and grabbed a handful of his black hair, using it to throw him across the room. Sometimes he enjoyed getting his hands dirty. Especially when he knew that this bastard had hurt Cas.

"That's the best you have?" Michael asked, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Just getting warmed up, dear."

The blond manifested his blade just as Michael came at him, and the two blades clashed together, both of them alternating between going on the defense and offense. Michael dove in a well aimed shot to Balthazar's heart, but the younger angel easily lifted his own blade to force Michael's back. They soon found themselves in a compromising position; their blades were pressed together, and if either of them gave an inch, the other would end up stabbed.

"You're stronger than I have you credit for," Michael ground out, gripping his blade with both hands.

Balthazar also had a white knuckled grip on his blade. "Well thanks, I've been hitting the gym."

"Oh you just think you're so funny, don't you?"

"I like to think so," Balthazar smirked.

Michael put all of his weight into his arms and pushed, the blade coming right at Balthazar. The razor sharp edge grazed the blond angel's throat, narrowly missing his carotid artery, which would have immobilized him. Balthazar hissed in pain and used his powers to knock Michael several feet away, a move that would have been too risky had they still been locked in hand to hand combat.

Balthazar was on his knees pressing his palm to his small but painful wound; Michael was pinned down by the other angel's powers. They could only keep this up for so long. Everyone else was either unconscious or couldn't move. Balthazar had every intention of healing them of course, assuming he made it out of this alive. Though that seemed unlikely as Michael finally broke free of Balthazar's spell.

He got up and strode over purposefully, staring down at his brother with cruel triumph. Balthazar's neck had nearly healed, but he couldn't get up, because Michael grabbed his throat to hold him down. He went into one of those really boring speeches about how he'd been waiting for this moment for a long, long time, and blah, blah, blah. Balthazar rolled his eyes even as Michael held him in a death grip.

Balthazar stared up at him with a calm, amused smile. "Hey Michael, what smells like cheap cologne and screams like a girl?"

Balthazar abruptly reached up and broke every bone in both of Michael's wrists, shooting to his feet and breaking free. Michael wailed and reeled back as his wrists healed slowly. But Balthazar was one seriously pissed angel and wasn't letting the prick having any leeway. He threw Michael to the floor and had his fun the old fashioned way, kicking the brunette in the stomach over and over, Michael's ribs cracking under the impact of his strength.

He sighed and pulled his hair back into place, crushing Michael's recently healed wrist under his foot. "That was for me."

He pressed the tip of his angel killing blade to Michael's heart. "And this is for Cas, darling."

White light exploded through the room as he drove the blade home. He watched Michael's grace fade from his eyes, twisting the blade one more time just for good measure. The archangel's wings were burned into the ground, but Balthazar scattered the ashes with his shoe just to be spiteful. His blade disappeared from his hand to be manifested whenever he needed it later. The room was totally wrecked, with furniture pushed around, unconscious people all over the first floor, and a dead archangel on the Persian rug.

"Well the maids will have a field day," Balthazar said to no one in particular.

* * *

><p>Gabriel's eyes opened as his body was healed. He peered up, blinking. There was a blurry form standing over him, and the more he regained his vision, the more familiar it seemed. Messy blond hair, light blue eyes, scruffy but handsome face…could that really be…? No, it couldn't be. He just couldn't believe it. Yet the face of his uncle smiled down at him affectionately even as he denied the possibility to himself.<p>

"Uncle Balthazar?"

"Present and accounted for. Come on, let's get you all home," he said, helping Gabriel to his feet.

Gabriel gawked at him. "I thought you were…"

"Dead? You can't get rid of me that easily," Balthazar teased. "John Winchester chased me out of town a few years ago and I've been on the run ever since. You have no idea how much I wanted to come see you and Cas," he added wistfully.

"How did you know we were in trouble?" Gabriel asked, still in shock.

"Michael's grace was flaring up. I could feel it three states away."

Gabriel threw his arms around Balthazar's waist, inhaling the familiar scent of his uncle. "I'm kinda happy you're not dead."

Balthazar laughed and ran his fingers through his nephew's golden hair. "Me too, Gabriel."

"Okay, all done with the chick flick moment now," Gabriel said, pulling back.

Balthazar chuckled and finished healing everyone, even John, who had been trying to kill him for years now. Everyone started checking on each other; Sam checking Gabriel over, Aziraphale fussing over Crowley, Bobby making sure Jo was okay, Lucifer snarling at Anna when she tried to check him for any injuries Balthazar hadn't gotten around to. All in all, everyone was fine.

Balthazar rolled his shoulders, working out the tension. "Well I don't know about you lot, but I'd like to go tell Cas that his house is full of some Kentucky Fried Michael. Hey, what says get well soon better than some extra crispy archangel?"

Everyone was more than happy to follow him. John was in a little too much shock to acknowledge that his long time enemy had just saved his ass. Gabriel had his head leaned against Sam's shoulder and their hands locked together as they walked, and Crowley and Aziraphale's arms were wrapped around the other's waists. Zira's platinum curls stood out even in the dim lighting cast by the half broken streetlamp.

* * *

><p>Mary breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the front door open, though her relief was short lived when she saw a perfect stranger enter her home. She would have quite possibly murdered him where he stood had he not been followed by Dean, Sam, Gabriel, Aziraphale, Crowley, Bobby, John, Anna (what she even doing there?) and Lucifer. Judging from the relief in Dean's eyes, Michael was dead. He looked like he could finally spend a proper amount of time worrying over Cas now that his father was out of the way.<p>

"Who are you?" she wearily asked Balthazar.

He walked over and kissed her hand. "The name's Balthazar, love."

"You get off her, you son of a-"

"John, really, children are in the room," Balthazar scolded, releasing Mary's hand with a sultry smirk.

Cas was waking up again, and when he saw his uncle, he croaked out, "Balthazar?"

The older angel's flippant façade broke the second he saw his bruised, weakened nephew. He rushed to Castiel's side and looked him over, suddenly wishing he had made Michael's death all the slower. He'd read the minds of the humans present and gathered that he'd done something terrible to Castiel, but he hadn't imagined how awful it would be in person.

"Hey Cas," he whispered, laying a hand on the younger angel's forehead and letting his healing powers flood through him.

John was holding Dean back, because the boy didn't know who Balthazar was, and even though he knew this was the angel that had killed Michael, he was in protectiveness overdrive because this stranger was touching Cas. They obviously knew each other, but still, Dean was Dean. After he'd calmed down, everyone gathered around the couch to hear Balthazar tell his story.

"Oh well I see I have quite the audience. Popcorn, anyone?" he quipped before getting down to business. "First of all; Gabriel, Castiel, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. None of this would have happened had I stayed."

"We don't blame you, Uncle Balthazar. I am sure you had good reason to leave on such short notice," said Castiel.

Gabriel nodded. "Yeah, what he said."

"I was chased out of town by a hunter. I've been on the run from that hunter ever since." He locked eyes with John. "And wouldn't it figure that he didn't find me…I found him."

Mary stared John down. "You ran Balthazar out of town? But how, we didn't even move here until-"

"I moved us here so I could finish what I started, Mary. The hunt I told you about was a fake. This is why I came here," John confessed quietly.

Balthazar interrupted, trying to finish his explanation. "And so against all odds, I ended up here. Again."

"Just in time," Gabriel added.

Sam, Dean, and Crowley unlike everyone else, were pissed off to hell and back with John. They started demanding why on earth would he try to kill an angel, and a fight would have broken out if Balthazar hadn't yelled for them all to shut up before he turned them all into piles of dust. Needless to say, the room fell silent. Castiel had remained quiet throughout the whole thing, and now moved over to Dean, stepping tiredly into his hunter's arms.

"Well tonight's been…crazy," Dean said for lack of a better word to describe it with.

"What are we going to do?" Cas asked quietly, nuzzling Dean's neck.

Michael was dead, Balthazar was apparently alive, and both of them were too exhausted to process all of it.

Dean sighed and rubbed Castiel's back. "I don't know, baby. We'll figure it out."

**To Be Continued**


	18. Desire's Untimely Effects

***Here is some random fluff and brief hot-ish make out session :D There will be more plotness next time, but this fic is winding down and I wanted to write some fluff, so here it is! I hope it's not too dreadfully awful, but it might be since it's 3:27 in the morning and I am going to bed as soon as I post this.**

"_All I ever wanted, all I ever needed_

_Is here in my arms."_

_~Enjoy The Silence by Anberlin_

Sam felt a little awkward standing there while Dean and Cas held each other, whispering god only knows what (probably some repulsively chick flicky stuff that Dean would later deny fervently) and looking like they were the only two people in the world. Gabriel looked pretty uncomfortable too. Sam stood up and took Gabriel's hand, pulling him upstairs. He just wanted some peace and quiet.

They flopped down side by side on Sam's bed. "Are you okay?" he asked the angel.

"Fine, and you?"

"Good. I think I'm still in a little bit of shock. I can't believe Michael was abusing Cas," Sam said, shaking his head sadly.

"I'm just glad it's over," Gabriel sighed. "If something had happened to my brother…how would I have lived with myself?"

Sam turned over to face his angel. "You wouldn't have been at fault, no one could have known what was going on."

Gabriel laughed bitterly, absently twisting his promise ring. "He's my _brother_, Sammy. I should have known! He'd been acting weird, but I didn't even try to figure it out, I shoved it in my closet of forgotten issues and wadded up Snickers wrappers and called it a day! What kind of brother am I? What kind of _person_ am I?" he distressed.

"You're the loyal, sweet, beautiful angel that I love," Sam said softly, draping an arm over Gabriel's waist. "And you are the most amazing brother, the most amazing _person_, I have ever met. And don't you ever forget that. You're perfect."

"Nobody's perfect," Gabriel replied as he smiled over at Sam, his mood already brightening.

"You are."

Sam kissed Gabriel lightly, the slightly smaller angel fitting perfectly in his arms. There wasn't much of a height difference, but for some reason that Sam didn't even understand, he felt like there would be one later. They pulled away and curled up together, cuddling and taking the simple pleasure in the other's company that some people just didn't bother taking anymore. But neither of them had ever taken a single day they spent together for granted, and they never would.

* * *

><p>John cleared his throat, and Dean reluctantly separated from Cas. "What, Dad?"<p>

"Your boyfriend's an angel," the older hunter said, shooting a less than friendly look at Castiel.

"Yep, your point being what?"

"He's not hum-"

"I've already given him this speech, Dad. Then I realized I was being a dick," he said, ignoring Mary's protests against the cursing, "He's just like us. He's a perfectly normal person…well, he has wings, but…"

Cas finally spoke up. "Mr. Winchester, I believe what Dean is trying to say is that you can not separate us. You haven't been the first father to try, and in case you didn't notice me showing up on your doorstep bruised, bloody, and half conscious, there's nothing anyone can do to break us apart. Not you, not Michael. No one."

Castiel had regained his confidence. He'd been slowly breaking as Michael continued to beat him whenever he pleased, but surrounded by the people he loved and the knowledge that his father would never again hurt him, he'd become himself again. He could take Dean's hand, hold his head high, and stare at John as if he dared him to protest. Castiel was _back_, bitches. Dean briefly considered blaring "Back In Black" and singing backup, but he didn't want to ruin the effect of his boyfriend's epic speech. Castiel read all of this in his mind and smirked amusedly. His telepathy had been getting stronger over the past few days.

John glared after them as Cas boldly pulled Dean up to the human's bedroom. Mary looked slightly slack jawed at the display of defiance from the usually shy boy. Balthazar snickered and made himself at home on the couch, clearly not intending on leaving his nephews, and since it was so late, Mary guided everyone else into spare rooms. Thankfully their house was fairly large, but it was older so they'd gotten a good price on it.

The two boys started getting ready for bed like they'd had this routine for years. Dean grabbed a quick shower and came back clothed in lightweight sleeping pants and a tee shirt. Cas was sprawled out on the bed, stripped down to his slacks since he hadn't brought a change of clothes. Dean blushed like a total girl and looked away, trying not to stare.

Castiel was skinny and lanky, but after the late night make out sessions they'd had, his lack of clothing was making Dean a little tense. Things with Michael had finally settled down and hopefully things could get back to normal for the two of them. Though come to think of it, Dean wanted to talk to Cas about Michael. He gratefully accepted the escape from the tension in the room.

Dean sat down on the edge of the bed and looked down at his boyfriend, who looked back at up at him with beautiful azure blue eyes. "Why didn't you tell me about what Michael was doing to you?"

"He would have hurt you, Dean. Maybe even killed you," Cas said quietly.

Dean absently brushed a lock of unruly hair from Castiel's face. "You still should have told me. I would have been there for you."

"You _were _there for me, even when you didn't realize you needed to be. That's why I couldn't do it."

"Do what?"

Castiel swallowed, realizing his slipup and knowing he would have to come clean now. "I made a deal with Michael…if he resurrected Crowley, I broke up with you by the night of the dance…"

"You were gonna break up with me?" Dean demanded angrily.

Cas continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "But then the night of the dance came and…I just couldn't do it. I was going to tell you how I felt, come up with a reason to leave, and let Michael have his way. Then you told me you loved me. You said the three words I'd been dreaming of since the night of our first date, since the very first time you kissed me. And I knew that I could never walk away…not even if I tried."

Dean's shifty eyes were captured by Castiel's steady ones. There was so much love reflected between them both, it was nearly overwhelming. Cas' words had moved Dean more than he realized, and though the human didn't say it aloud, he knew he could never walk away from Cas either. It was them, together, until death did them apart. Just like in the wedding vows.

Before either realized what was going on, they were kissing. Dean had leaned down, closed his eyes, and kissed Castiel slowly. The angel welcomed the warmth of the kiss and the comfort it offered. He wrapped his arms around Dean's neck, opening his mouth invitingly. Dean nibbled lightly on Cas' lower lip briefly before slowly slipping his tongue inside. Castiel closed his lips and sucked on it with the talent that a thirteen year old shouldn't have, let alone know how to use.

Dean climbed on top of Cas, trying to keep his weight off of the angel as much as possible. Castiel's legs draped around his waist, keeping him firmly in place as he experimentally sucked on his human's tongue. His "experimenting" was about to drive Dean into…well, Dean didn't know what, but the blood rushing not-quite-unpleasantly down his body surely couldn't be a good sign.

Maybe it was because they were only thirteen, maybe it was because anyone could walk on them at any moment, but the wrongness of it somehow made it so much better. Dean mimicked what Cas had once done to him and moved his hips, doing it again when Cas moaned quietly. His rutting was just like Castiel's had been, clumsy and unpracticed, but the boys were getting their pleasure out of it.

Castiel stiffened slightly, disengaging from Dean's mouth. "Dean…something doesn't feel right."

"Oh come on Cas, you love me, I love you, why is this wrong?" Dean asked exasperatedly.

"No, not like that. I mean something doesn't _feel_ right. My body's all hot and I just want to spread my legs and let you move against me-"

"_Cas_!" Dean barked, blushing quite possibly down to his neck. "Don't _do that_."

The angel had no idea what he'd done wrong. "Do what?"

"Say stuff like that. We're kinda young to be talking about stuff like that, I know you don't really understand, but I have watched enough TV to know that we're supposed to be older before we do…you know…_that_."

"I wasn't talking about '_that_,'" Cas said, using air quotes, "I just meant…what we were doing. It felt good."

Dean couldn't disagree with that. It _had_ felt good. Hell, they were two boys hitting puberty, it was natural really. Dean, fighting back embarrassment, gently nudged Cas' legs apart and situated himself between them, rocking forwards slowly. _I just want to spread my legs and let you move against me_…he could still here Castiel's voice in his head. He pushed his boyfriend's legs as far apart as they would go and started rocking harder, going faster and faster, not even sure where this was going. They moaned and gasped and very conveniently forgot that Dean's parents were downstairs.

They really regretted forgetting that, because a few moments later, John threw open the bedroom door. And just like in the TV shows, they both fell off the bed in their startle, turning more shades of red than one would believe to be on the color spectrum. Dean scrambled to his feet and started stuttering, Cas silently blushing and praying for a large hole to open up and swallow him.

"That…uh…wasn't what it, um…looked like," Dean said lamely.

John crossed his arms. "Really? Because it looked like two minors on a bed, trying to get their rocks off. Correct me if I'm wrong."

Oh yeah, Dean pretty much just wanted to _die_. This was the most awkward, embarrassing conversation he had ever suffered through. Even worse, he could hear Gabriel and Sam listening in from outside, simply because they were laughing themselves silly. John was ranting on and on, and by the end of it, Cas ended up asleep in the living room with Balthazar, the angel wanting to just go hide somewhere when his uncle asked why he couldn't sleep with Dean. The poor wording had John going on yet another rant. It was going to be a long night…

**To Be Continued**


	19. Middle School's Graduation

***I know this seems like the end, but there will be an epilogue! Just one more chapter to go, guys…*sniffle***

"_I'm falling even more in love with you_

_Letting go of all I've held onto_

_I'm standing here until you make me move_

_I'm hanging by a moment here with you."_

_~Hanging By a Moment by Lifehouse_

Dean was stubborn. He still refused to leave Cas. When the angel woke up on the couch, on the other end of it from Balthazar, he saw Dean snoring on the rug next to him. He smiled at the sight of his human. Cas reached down and ran his fingers through Dean's hair, who unconsciously moved closer until his side was pressed against the side of the couch. Castiel slid off the couch and laid down next to Dean, resting his face in the crook of his hunter's neck before dozing off again.

Mary came downstairs later and found the boys cuddling on the rug. She sighed and put her hands on her hips. There didn't seem to be any way of keeping them apart. Put one on one floor, one on the other, and they still end up together. John was right behind her, and he would have thrown a fit had she not shook her head and told him to just let them be. It's not like they could mess around while they were unconscious, though she was reluctant to leave them alone at school together. Putting two consenting males that were going through puberty anywhere near the empty storage closets that were plentiful in middle schools seemed like the worst idea she'd heard all day, but she couldn't very well just keep Dean home, no matter how tempting it was.

"Come on boys, time for school," she said, leaning down and nudging Dean.

When he simply mumbled something half coherently and curled closer against Cas, she shook the angel and said, "Come _on_, you're going to be late."

Neither of them were waking up, but her knight in shining armor came sliding down the banister, shouting an off key rendition of "I Want Candy." _Gabriel to the rescue_, she thought wryly. Dean and Castiel sat up almost in perfect unison as the small blond angel crash landed at the bottom, his fall broken by his wings, which he'd extended on the way down. He frowned and stood up, fluffing them into perkiness again. Balthazar, who'd still been asleep (he could sleep through anything, it would seem) cracked an eye open and watched the proceedings with amusement.

Castiel could simply will his clothes to be clean, so he went into the first floor bathroom while Dean went up to the second one to change clothes. Lucifer was barking at them to get a move on already, Bobby was calling them "horny idjits," Gabriel was chasing Sam up and down the stairs, and Anna and Balthazar were watching with fond smiles. After a few moments, Anna said she was going home to get her clothes and disappeared in a flurry of feathers.

Balthazar went into the kitchen and sat down at the table with Mary. She smiled at him warmly, treating him like family already. He clearly meant something to Gabriel and Castiel, and she'd come to love those boys. John was outside in the garage, so it was just her and Balthazar. He seemed nice enough, and they made friendly small talk until she asked what would happen to the Novak kids now that Michael was dead.

His response cam quickly and confidently. "I'm going to get custody of them."

"You're going to…"

"Adopt them, yes. I'm not going to let them go to some foster home and then let them get split up. They need a family."

Mary nodded. "Everyone does. I'm glad you're taking them in."

Dean and Cas walked and John was driving Sam and Gabriel to school, so Mary stayed and helped Balthazar find somewhere to live. The Novak home held too many bad memories for them to return there. He thanked her when she said he could stay there with the boys as long as he needed to, but he still wanted them to have a home of their own. He called Raphael and Uriel to explain the situation, but they were hungover and just muttered an "uh, okay, sure" before hanging up on him. He barely resisted the urge to find them and strangle them.

"What kind of place do you want?" Mary asked, looking through the rental section of the newspaper.

"Something large, and lavish. Big enough for me, Castiel, Gabriel, and Anna. Raphael and Uriel can get screwed."

"Well they might make some money that way."

He was surprised at the joke coming from such a woman but chuckled softly and took a sip of coffee, a human drink he'd become rather taken with. "Yeah, something like that."

She smiled and continued leafing through the paper.

* * *

><p>"So who's gonna be the new principle?" Sam asked Gabriel on the way to class.<p>

The angel shrugged. "I don't know. Michael refused to have a vice principle and smote the head of the school board when they tried to fire him for it."

"Seriously?"

"Yup."

Sam shook his head and took Gabriel's books, carrying them like he always did. Gossip had spread through the school like wildfire, and Ruby dashed up to Sam, momentarily forgetting her oath not to speak to him since he was gay. Meg and Lilith were hot on her heels, all three of them wearing equally amusing expressions of shock.

"Is it true that Michael's dead?" Ruby gasped.

"Was he really abusing Cas?" Lilith added.

"Are Dean and Cas going to have underage comfort sex?" asked Meg.

When everyone stared at her, she raised her hands defensively. "Just asking!"

"Yes, yes, and no," Gabriel said with an eye roll.

Sam and Gabriel pushed past the girls and left them to "OMG" over the confirmation. Of course after that the cheerleaders went right back to mocking them every chance they got, but some things never change. It didn't really bother the human or angel, they simply blocked the girls out and went about their life as usual. As they walked, Sam noticed the flier with the date of the 8th grade graduation coming up. He frowned; that meant Dean and Cas would be going to high school next year. Gabriel frowned too, following Sam's gaze to the advertisement.

"Just think, in a few years we'll be graduating high school and then we can get married," Sam said brightly.

Bad mood forgotten, Gabriel grinned from ear to ear. "Now Balthazar can walk me down the aisle!"

"He sure can," Sam smiled, opening the classroom door for his boyfriend.

* * *

><p>Castiel and Dean were on their way to history class when a very excited Becky suddenly hurled herself at the angel. Cas gasped from the impact. She was late for biology class and would have to listen to Mr. Lucifer's lecture, but she didn't think that far ahead. Her boyfriend Chuck was leaning against the wall and laughing softly.<p>

"Oh sweetie I heard what your father did to you! Are you okay?" she cried, squeezing Cas.

The angel choked slightly. "Well no…I can't breathe…"

She jumped back and immediately started thumping his back to try to get his breathing regulated again, but he waved her off and said he was fine. Much more of this and he'd die of secondhand exuberance, if that was at all possible. Dean and Chuck shared looks of fond exasperation behind the backs of their partners.

"Thank you for your concern Becky, but I am fine," Castiel said.

She produced a huge bouquet of flowers from her backpack that by all means shouldn't have even fit and shoved them into the angel's arms before darting off for class. He looked down at the massive, hand picked variation of roses, daises, tulips, tiger lilies, and dandelions, probably all from her mother's garden.

Dean playfully took one of the daises and tucked it behind Cas' ear. It was just a joke, but Dean decided not to voice how ridiculous the angel looked when he simply left it there. Hell, it was actually kind of cute in that weird, quirky way that only Cas could pull of with the same finesse and charm that a model can strut open a runway. It was simply the personality he wore, and he wore it well. Not only was it a wonderful personality that Castiel flaunted, but it was the confidence with which he carried himself that made him so admirable. The way he executed himself was one of the many things Dean loved about him.

Bobby didn't reprimand them too harshly for their lateness in light of recent events, but he gave them a look that said this was their last free pass. They nodded in silent acknowledgement before taking their usual seats next to each other. Crowley was too busy talking to Zira to even notice them, but Jo gave them a friendly wave as they sat down. They smiled back, and she returned to taking notes. Things were finally back to normal.

Though it wasn't anything noticeable from a person on the outside looking in, things had changed. For example, Castiel's beloved and somewhat tattered trench coat was no longer a means of covering up his bruises, it was once more a simple accessory. He was comfortable in his own skin again.

Dean felt pressure against his hand and looked down to see "ILU" written on the top of it. He smiled over at Cas, who was holding his pen and smiling back at him. The three letters etched into his hand with black ink were more than an adorable expression of love, it was a representation of the beautiful innocence that had been the center of Dean and Castiel's relationship from day one. They had experimented sexually, but the root of their intentions had always been pure, and still were.

The human leaned over to Castiel's ear and whispered, "Love you more."

A few moments later, "Not possible" was written on his hand below the original message. They continued these little exchanges until there was no more room on Dean's hands, which were covered in his boyfriend's handwriting by the time the bell rang. All sadness and negativity had faded from Castiel, and in the place of that angst ridded boy was the sweetest, if not slightly teasing, angel that made a certain young demon hunter wonder what the hell he did to deserve his boyfriend.

Dean had considered buying a ring for Cas like Sam had for Gabriel, but the hunter had some secret plans that he would later reveal to his angel, but that was a story for another time. Let's just say he intended on pledging himself to Cas the old fashioned, somewhat countrified way. But judging from the way those piercing blue eyes sparkled whenever they fixed on him, Castiel wouldn't turn him down.

* * *

><p>When the boys got home, Balthazar had an announcement to make. He asked Gabriel and Castiel to take a seat, and when they plopped down side by side on the couch, he came over and stood in front of them. Mary had become fast friends with the angel and gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. John rolled his eyes and retrieved a cold beer from the kitchen, popping the top and taking a long pull.<p>

"So, boys, I found us a house," Balthazar started.

Gabriel perked up. "What kind of house?"

"The big kind with five bedrooms and an indoor pool."

Gabriel squealed happily, Castiel grinned, and Balthazar continued. "Anna will be living with us until she graduates and goes away to college, but Uriel and Raphael seem to care less about what's happened, so to use the human idiom, they can pucker up and kiss my ass. Oh, and one more thing."

At their expectant looks, he said, "I intend on getting custody and adopting you. As my own. Anna too."

Please hold while Gabriel and Castiel scrape their jaws off the floor.

* * *

><p>By the time middle school graduation rolled around, Balthazar had called in some favors and had the adoption finalized. Bobby, of all people, had ended up being principle. Usually the announcements had the word "idjit" in them at least once. Everyone loved that school, and one human and angel were reluctant to part with it. They would miss their teachers and seeing their little brothers every day.<p>

The graduation passed smoothly, everyone hugging Dean and Cas afterwards, congratulating them on starting high school next year. They were both fourteen now, the two boys that had once been a little awkward turning into handsome, defined young men. Mary of course cried because her boys were growing up too fast, while John and Balthazar (can you believe that they ended up being friends?) shared eye rolls.

Of all the places for Dean and Cas to return to later that night, they found themselves at the lake where they had their first date and their first kiss. They stood on the end of the peir, Castiel's head leaned back against Dean's chest, the hunter's arms wrapped around Cas' waist from behind. They stood that way for a long time without saying anything, both following their own trains of thought.

They stared out at the water, then up at the starry sky. It was hard to believe how short of a time it had been since they'd first had dinner on this very pier, Dean having set up a plastic table and chairs, trying so desperately to impress Cas. But even more amazing was how it had all started with Dean laying eyes on an unnamed, mysterious, blue eyed boy. And the odds had been stacked against them, but through it all, here they were, going as strong as ever.

"You know, Cas, when I first asked you out, I never thought I'd be able to stay with you," Dean murmured.

"What do you mean?"

He more felt than heard Dean's sigh. "My dad was always moving Sammy and me around. I never thought in a million years that this would be the town he'd finally settle down in, but here we are."

"It wouldn't have done you any good to leave. I would have found a way to follow you," Cas replied simply. That was just how their relationship worked; they were inseparable.

"I know." A silent lull, and then: "I'm glad Dad moved me here. Life would suck if I hadn't met you."

"I'm glad he moved you here too, Dean."

Dean kissed the top of Cas' head. "Well, middle school wasn't so bad, huh?"

Castiel smiled. "It could have been worse."

**To Be Continued**


	20. A Story's End

**Author's Note:**

***stares at the review count in shock* Over 200 reviews? SERIOUSLY? What the hell did I do to deserve that! I have no words for how much I completely and totally adore you all for your reviews, support, and just sticking with me throughout the fic :D Also a huge thanks to A Darker Heaven and Hell, because without her this fic never would have existed, so thank you Cheyenne! I am still so touched that you let me write this and that you liked what I did with your idea.**

**So…it's over. *sniff* This is the epilogue. I am going to miss you guys! I know I say that every time I finish a fic, but it doesn't make it any less true! I love my reviewers and I will be sad to part with you :'( Anyways, warnings for diabetes inducing fluff and mentions of sexual content, but it's not actually described, so no worries. And a picture of a certain something from this chapter (you will understand once you read!) is posted to my new and improved profile. **

**Nope, I am still not done with this A/N. I know you all are going to kill me for how long it is, but I have a lot to say lol. For starters, save for some one-shots here and there, I am going on a brief writing vacation so I can catch up on fanfics, finish watching Leverage, and work out all the details of the Iris sequel with Suzy. My profile will have constant updates, so if any of you want to keep an eye out for it, please keep checking back :D**

**And…I think I'm finished! I am now going to go eat curly fries and finish S2 of Leverage. Bye for now, my dears!**

* * *

><p>"<em>And you still don't have the right look<em>

_And you don't have the right friends_

_Nothing changes but the faces, the names, and the trends_

_High school never ends."_

_~High School Never Ends by Bowling For Soup_

"Here goes nothing," Dean sighed.

Castiel smiled and took his human's hand. They walked through the doors of their high school, their stride considerably more confident than they felt. Actually, they were nervous as hell. They didn't have any of the same teachers, and even though they'd already been shown around, the school felt new and alien. Of course they still got mocked for being gay, and Cas still put the fear of God in them. Dean couldn't have asked for a more badass boyfriend.

The teachers weren't all that bad, but they weren't Bobby. The boys missed their gruff old history teacher. After their first period class, they split up briefly to find their lockers. Cas looked at the swarm of students in the crowded hallway and teased Dean that he wouldn't be able to find him once they split up. Dean chuckled and pushed into the throng of people, waving to Crowley and Aziraphale when he saw them together. Crowley was cussing out his schedule for some reason, but the platinum haired angel smiled and waved back at him.

Ruby, Meg, and Lilith still ran in the same group and hadn't changed a bit over the summer. They still fixed everyone that dared to cross their path with death glares, only softening when they caught the eye of an attractive man. Speaking of which, they didn't even recognize Cas. He'd developed and changed over the summer, and freshman or not, he was gorgeous. Meg made the very bad mistake of hitting on him, though you'd think the trench coat getup would give away who it was.

"Hey there handsome," she greeted when she saw him pushing through the people.

He sighed and looked over at her. "What do you want, Meg?" he asked in a deep, throaty voice.

"Well you know my name but I don't know yours, that's not fair," she teased.

"You've known me since I started middle school, what the hell have you been sniffing?" Yeah, he'd been spending _way_ too much time with Dean.

She looked at him, totally lost, so he said, "Doesn't the name Castiel Novak ring any metaphorical bells? You know, the one you mocked for being gay?"

"Castiel?" she croaked, her jaw dropping. "You look…um…different?"

"I'm still gay, and I'm still with Dean. Find someone else to hit on."

With that, he pushed past her and made his way to his locker. He could practically feel her dark eyes staring holes in his back, though he didn't know if her shock came from not recognizing him or the blatant, rude rejection. Quite possibly a combination of both. Jo had been walking down the hall as the conversation had went down and gave Castiel an approving smirk. He smiled back before putting his combination in so he could open is locker.

Suddenly someone was spinning him around and pressing him against it, kissing him hard and deep before leaning in to his ear and whispering, "Found you."

"Dean," he scolded half heartedly.

Against locker doors were hardly where they should be making out, but he found himself melting in Dean's arms as his human sucked a hickey onto his neck. They'd gotten around to some more "experimenting" over the summer, and instead of their desire for each other lessening, it only got worse and worse over time. Castiel was panting weakly by the time Dean finally released him and stood back.

"Something wrong?" the hunter teased.

Turning the tables, Cas grabbed Dean and turned him around so his back was against the locker. The angel, being the tease that he was, starting probing around in Dean's mouth with his tongue and slid his leg in between the humans thighs, moving it just _so_ and hitting a sweet spot. Dean moaned and moved against that leg, but Cas smirked and pulled away, leaving his boyfriend…oh, what was the human saying? High and dry, he believed was the idiom.

"Dammit Cas," Dean growled, reaching out to take a hold of his angel.

Castiel simply smiled, slid out of reach, pulled his needed books from his locker, and said, "Sorry, I'm late for class."

Dean glared after him as he strutted down the hall, his walk reeking of amused triumph. Damn him.

* * *

><p>Their years in high school seemed to pass in a blur. The same went for Sam and Gabriel, who started there two years after Dean and Cas. And for the record, Dean later in life became a hunter, but Cas simply followed him and they returned home to their families after each and every hunt. The hunter and the angel never got any less brave with their adventures in lust, but they also didn't get any less awkward. The attempts, while pleasurable, were made with the clumsy inexperience that they'd had since they were thirteen. However, they did learn a few new tricks along the way.<p>

One of the most embarrassing encounters they had was during the summer after freshman year. Anna had been out with her boyfriend, Gabriel had been over at Sam's, Balthazar had left to go help Lucifer with something, and Cas had gotten the bright idea to invite Dean over. And of course just like any teenagers would, they took advantage of the absence of siblings and parental figures for sex. Not _actual_ sex, but that didn't mean it was any less humiliating when Balthazar walked in to find Cas on the couch, dry humping Dean. Cas hadn't been able to look his uncle in the eyes for a solid two weeks afterwards.

Not all of their time alone was spent engaging in physical pleasure, though. On many occasions the two of them would go down to the lake and spread a blanket out, laying in each other's arms and staring up at the starlit sky. It was in these moments that their defenses were down (they weren't quite as openly, naively affectionate as they were when they were in middle school) and they would whisper "I love you" to the other. They'd matured since those days when they were two thirteen year olds with nothing to lose, but they hadn't become any less in love. If anything, they were more in love than ever.

When they were sixteen, Dean pulled the ultimate card. He shocked their classmates, infuriated their parents, set the worst example possible for their siblings, and almost made Cas cry when he played this old fashioned little card that you only hear about in small towns like the one they were in. It had been the craziest thing he'd ever done in his life, but since when had his relationship with his angel been traditional? Well it wasn't and didn't look like it would become that way any time soon.

Dean led Castiel to their lake, and the pier was been adorned with none other than a plastic table and chairs, along with dinner packed into the backpack he'd carried in middle school. Cas looked around, awestruck, before turning back to Dean with the widest smile that the human had ever seen him wear. That moment alone was beautiful enough to frame, but that was paled in comparison to what Dean had planned.

As they sat down, Dean took Castiel's hand on the table. "Three years ago exactly, it's been three years as of today, you and I had our first date here. And our first kiss. Cas, you were the first person I ever fell in love with, and I never wanna love anyone but you," Dean said softly, rubbing his thumb along the top of his boyfriend's hand. Castiel watched him with a warm smile.

"What I guess I'm trying to say is…I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Cas' breath caught in his throat. "And I you, Dean."

Dean slid a small circlet from his pocket and held it out, the moonlight catching the small but beautiful jewels. It was one of the most unique rings either of them had seen, with a band that was both silver and gold. One side was silver, the other was gold, and in the center of the ring were two hearts; one silver, one gold, both with small diamonds in the center as well as on either side.

"Castiel Novak, when we turn eighteen, will you marry me?"

Tears were in the angel's eyes as he leaned across the table and kissed Dean with so much tenderness and passion that it nearly unraveled them both. "Oh, Dean…of course."

Call it clichéd, call it what you will, but that was the first time they made love. Soon Castiel was wearing only his engagement ring, and then Dean was laying him out on the blanket that was still spread out on the ground from their last visit there. They made sensual, sweet love under the moon and stars, Dean taking Castiel's left hand and lacing it with his own, pinning it down beside the angel's head and pressing a soft kiss to it. For all of their groping and awkward fondling they'd done over the years, their first time was slow and perfect and anything but clumsy. They fit together like the two halves of a whole that they were.

That night proved something. As Sam and Gabriel stayed at home watching movies, feeding each other chocolate, and Dean and Cas made love long into the night with the beautiful knowledge that they would be married within twenty-four months, a fact was silently stated. Because years later, after countless half arguments and tender makeup kisses, after a few failed attempts of their parents trying to break them up, it all led back to the root of where it all started, and that was why one simple thing was made clear beyond any need of doubt or further proof.

Middle school never ends.

**The End**


End file.
